August Rush the movie
by ElphieThroppDG28
Summary: August Rush written out. HOWEVER, there's an OC named Melanie Porter, who lives at the Wizard's joint. She and Evan become inseparable and take a totally amazing musical journey together.
1. Prologue

A/N

Hello again! As you can see, here's another one of my Freddie fanfics (and, yes, there will be a handful of these, as said in my profile…)

So…the wheels turned in my head, yet again, when I watched this fantastic movie. I added a new character--and again, she's a girl (and a Renthead…a little shout-out to all of my fellow Bohemians out there). She kinda becomes Evan's guardian angel, in a sense…but I'm going to shut up before I give too much away.

DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN AUGUST RUSH OR ANY RELATED TITLES. It belongs to Warner Bros. Studios.

Again, I got the dialogue from the movie…added dialogue, took some out…added more curse words when needed (sorry)…and I obviously added scenes with the new character to fit the story. I even added an epilogue!

Oh, and the random quotes at the beginning…they just tie in with the chapter…Idk, something new that I decided to try.

I think that's it! Read on and enjoy!

.........

"**He is the Chosen One."**

**-Qui-Gon Jin**

.........

**Prologue**

_**Listen. **_

_**Can you hear it?**_

_**The music.**_

_**I can hear it everywhere.**_

_**In the wind…**_

…_**in the air…**_

…_**in the light.**_

_**It's all around us.**_

_**All you have to do is open yourself up.**_

_**All you have to do…**_

…_**is listen.**_

.........

_**Where I've grown up, they tried to stop me from listening to the music. But when I'm alone, it builds up from inside me. **_

_**Sometimes it's sweet.**_

_**Sometimes it's joyful.**_

_**But most of the time…it's…lonely.**_

_**Like a voice.**_

_**A beautiful, clear voice.**_

_**Calling out to me.**_

_**Pleading for help.**_

_**Wanting a friend.**_

_**Trying to find refuge in a lonely universe.**_

_**And I think…if I could learn to play the music…**_

…_**the voice might hear me.**_

**They **_**might hear me.**_

_**They being my parents.**_

_**They would know I was theirs…**_

…_**and find me.**_

_**And…if we were all together…**_

…_**maybe that voice would follow the music.**_

_**It would follow the music to us…**_

…_**and the voice…**_

…_**whoever it belongs to…**_

…_**would find us.**_

_**And we'd make the voice feel welcome.**_

_**And I'd let the voice know…**_

…_**that I'm always there.**_


	2. Chapter 1

"**They all call me a lunatic…**

**Okay! Call me a lunatic.**

**If I stand on my own…**

**…so be it!"**

**-Horton the Elephant**

.........

**Chapter One**

"Knock, knock!" came a voice from behind the door.

Evan Taylor sat up in bed as three boys came into the room. It was the middle of the night--and his least favorite part of his life. The part where the older boys at the orphanage came to terrorize him and his roommate. The part where they made him feel inferior and stupid.

The worst part of his day.

"You're a freak," a spiky-haired boy said, knocking on Evan's skull. "Freak. Freak."

Evan stayed quiet. He knew from experience it was best to let them have their fun without getting in the way.

The spiky-haired boy stared at Evan. "I said knock, knock, freak," he said.

Evan sighed, knowing where this was going. "Who's there?"

"You're long lost mommy and daddy," the boy answered in a baby-like voice. His eyes grew wide as he got up in Evan's face. "Can you hear them?"

The other boys behind him snickered.

Evan looked at all three boys. "Yes," he said.

The laughter and smiles faded from the boys' faces. "No, you can't," the spiky-haired boy told him.

"I can," Evan said.

"Well," the boy said, searching for something menacing to say. "What about that voice in the wind?" His voice became high-pitched. "Oh, Evan! I'm a voice in the wind! Help me! Help me! I have no life and have nothing better to do than cry to a helpless, stupid orphan boy!" He shook his head. "Who is this, anyway? Your girlfriend?"

The other boys began to laugh, but Evan just sat still and waited for them to finish before continuing.

"There is a voice in the wind," Evan said. "It's a clear voice. A voice that's crying for help. And that voice belongs to someone who needs a friend. And I'm not sure if it's a boy or a girl. It's just…a voice."

The spiky-haired boy, once again, got up in Evan's face. "You don't have no family," he said, irritated. "And there ain't no voice in the wind crap going on. You can't hear anything."

He paused for a moment. "Say it," he said.

"Say it! Say it!" the other boys chanted.

Evan kept his cool and looked at all the older boys. "Yes…" he said. "I can."

Evan's roommate sensed that the older boys wouldn't stand for any of this. "He doesn't hear anything," he told them.

The other boys looked up at Evan's roommate.

"What is he?" the spiky-haired boy asked him expectantly.

"He's a freak."

The boys nodded at Evan and started to laugh again. "Sweet dreams, freaks," they said as they left the room. "Sleep tight!"

Evan sighed and lay back down. Outside, the moon was big and full. He smiled as he heard a voice in the wind. The fuller the moon was, the stronger the voice called to him.

He never knew what the voice might sing, because each time, it was something different. But each time, it was sad and mournful.

_**Do you know what's it's like…to feel so in the dark?**_

Evan nodded automatically. He was used to this voice asking questions in song, and he was used to answering silently.

Ever…so…silently…

.........

_**I need to find you…I gotta find you…**_

Evan awoke with a jolt. The voice became stronger than ever, repeating itself for the first time.

_**I need to find you…I gotta find you…**_

Evan listened closely, shaping the words in his mouth as he heard them.

_**I need to find you…I gotta find you…**_

The voice seemed more agitated than usual. Like it needed help more than ever.

But because it was that way, Evan finally realized that the beautiful voice belonged to a girl.


	3. Chapter 2

"**There is more that meets the eye.**

**I see the soul that is inside."**

**-Avril Lavigne**

.........

**Chapter Two**

_**Sometimes the world tries to knock it out of you.**_

_**But I believe in music…**_

…_**the way that some people believe in fairy tales.**_

_**I like to imagine that what I hear came from my mother and father.**_

_**Maybe the notes I hear…**_

…_**are the same ones they heard the night they met.**_

_**Maybe I inherited a gift…**_

…_**of hearing other people's music.**_

_**Maybe that's how they found each other.**_

_**Maybe that's how I'll find the voice.**_

_**And…maybe that's how my parents will find me.**_

_**I believe that, once upon a time…**_

…_**long ago…**_

…_**they heard the music… **_

…_**and followed it.**_

.........

Lyla heard something through the white stucco walls of the building. The higher she climbed the stairs, the louder it got. She figured following whatever it was would give her something to do at one of the craziest gatherings she'd ever been to (she didn't feel like talking to _anyone_--and her father wouldn't let her leave until at least eleven).

As she climbed higher and higher, she thought back to a couple hours earlier, when she was on stage, in the glow of the bright lights, doing something she loved: playing the cello.

But, somehow, tonight was different. She felt a deeper connection than she usually did. And this deep connection gave her the feeling that something great was about to happen.

She made it all the way to the roof, and opened the door to reveal the New York City skyline. She walked out to the edge of the roof and realized that the sound was coming from a homeless man playing a harmonica. It sounded so simple, yet sweet at the same time…

"It's great sound, isn't it?" a voice asked.

Lyla turned around and saw that she wasn't alone on the roof. A man in leather with an Irish accent was sitting on one of the roof's ledges nearby, also listening to the homeless man.

"What are you doing?" Lyla asked.

"Listening," the man answered. "What are you doing?"

Lyla considered the question. What _was _she doing up here? Was she really up here for the music?

"I just came up here to--"

"--get away?" the man finished.

They smiled, seeming to know how the other felt.

"Have a seat," the man said. He sensed her discomfort climbing. "Come on, be brave. It's front row, center."

Lyla climbed up the ladder and sat down next to the man. They looked at each other, transfixed.

"Can you hear that?" he asked.

"What is it?" she asked curiously.

"It's a wish." They both looked up at the full moon, feeling something truly magical.

"Now, what does that sound like?" Lyla asked.

Instead of answering, he began to sing. Lyla listened, thinking he had one of the greatest voices she'd ever heard.

"When I was a young fellow," he said after he was done, "I used to talk to the moon."

Lyla laughed. "Are you making that up?"

He laughed, too. "God, I haven't done that in a long time."

"Does it ever talk back?"

"Well…it used to. Now I just find myself either talking to my three-year-old niece about ponies and rainbows, or out on a roof, talking to myself like a loon. Just…out here on my own."

"Well…I'm here," Lyla told him.

"Yes, you are."

There was a silence.

"I'm Louis," he said.

"Lyla," Lyla said.

"So…what's your story, Lyla?"

"I don't know. I'm just, um…I'm just…me."

The whole time she spoke, Louis looked at her.

"What are you looking at?" she asked.

"You."

He leaned in and kissed her. And she found herself kissing him back.

Thus starting the most magical night of Lyla's life.


	4. Chapter 3

**"You think you're always right, don't you?"**

**-Charlie Brown**

.........

**Chapter Three**

"Next."

Evan got up from his chair in the hallway and went into the counselor's office. If anyone could help him, then this man could.

He passed his roommate, who was heading out of the office. "What did he want? What did he say?"

"You know…the same old junk. New guy."

.........

"My name is Mr. Jeffries," the man said. "I'm with Child Services for the state of New York."

He opened some files. "Okay…Evan. Born December 17th, 1995. Legal adoption to New York Children's…"

Evan tried to listen, but the wind chimes outside the window were very distracting.

"How long have you been here, Evan?" Mr. Jeffries asked him.

"Eleven years and sixteen days, sir," Evan said.

Mr. Jeffries looked at him.

"I've been counting," he explained.

Mr. Jeffries whistled. "That's a long time."

"How do you do that?"

"What?"

Evan blew through his mouth, trying to whistle.

"Well…" Mr. Jeffries pointed his pen to the wind chimes. "I was just imitating the wind chimes." He whistled a tune, and Evan half-whistled it back to him.

"It says here that you don't want to be placed with a real family?" Mr. Jeffries read.

"I have a family."

"Yes, you do. I mean…you have parents and all, but they don't live with you."

"Not now," Evan insisted.

"But, still…you don't have contact with them."

"Yes, I do."

Mr. Jeffries gave him a disbelieving look. "You do?" He looked through the papers, not finding anything. "What…do they call you?"

_No. That's the voice I hear inside my head._

Evan shook his head.

"Come and visit you?"

_No. That would be the bullies' job._

Evan shook his head.

"They send--"

"I…" Evan started. "I don't want to be sent away."

"I understand," said Mr. Jeffries. "You see, there's a lot of children who are scared that if they leave their first home, their parents would never be able to find them. Right? Well, see, my job is to make sure that nothing like that will ever happen to you. So there's nothing to be scared of."

Evan had started to cry. He didn't care what this man said. He still didn't want to be placed with a family he didn't even know, who probably didn't even _want _him.

Still…he wasn't going to be rude.

"Thank you," he said.

Mr. Jeffries smiled. "I'm gonna do something I never do." He began to scribble something on a piece of paper. "Here's my number. If you ever need to talk to me, about anything…you call. Think about what I said, too. There's a whole world out there with millions of wind chimes."

"I know," Evan said, laughing a bit, thinking of the voice. _Oh, don't I know it…_

"You can go now," Mr. Jeffries told him.

.........

"Mannix says we're never gonna see our real parents again," Evan's roommate told him later that day.

"Mannix is a big liar, then."

"Yeah. I know. But…what if he's right? God, that would suck if he's right…I mean, what if they never come? I hardly remember what my mom looks like, you know?"

"Well," Evan said. "If they don't find us…we'll just have to go find them."


	5. Chapter 4

_Hey, everyone! For those of you still reading this, Melanie (the OC) will show up in a couple chapters. I know...the story gets long...but it helps...you know, lead up to things..._

_So...read on and enjoy!_

.........

"**Love is like war: easy to begin, hard to stop."**

**-Proverb**

.........

**Chapter Four**

"Wakey, wakey! Eggs and bacey!"

Lyla awoke to cold water from a hose, bright flashes of a camera, and the laughter of four Irish guys.

It took her a minute to realize where she was and what had happened. She was on the roof of a building. She had just slept with an Irish guy named Louis.

Oh, yeah. She was dead.

"I gotta go!" she said, quickly getting of the couch she and Louis were on.

"Let me walk you home," Louis offered.

"No," she answered a bit too quickly. "My dad's waiting at the Sherry. I've never done this before. I'm in so much trouble."

"Hey, hey!" Louise pulled her back. "Meet me here at ten o'clock, by the arch. Say yes."

"Put him out of his misery! Say yes!" the four Irish guys said, laughing.

Lyla finally broke and ran to the door.

Louis stood up. "I take that as a yes!" he called after her.

.........

"You are gonna be in so much trouble!" Lyla's friend, Liz told her as they left her apartment later. "You should have at least left your dad a note!"

"Yeah, a ransom note," Lyla joked. "You know what? I don't even care! I just had the most incredible night of my life." She paused and spotted a cab. "Taxi!"

.........

Louis sat and waited by the arch. He looked down at the Polaroid picture of him and Lyla that one of the guys had taken. Where could she be?

"Louis, man," one of his friends said. "She ain't coming. Come on, we're gonna miss the flight back home!"

Louis ran to the street. "Taxi!"

"Louis! Where the hell are you going?!"

.........

"Dad! I'm not going with you!" Lyla shouted at her father. She was walking from the Sherry, her father following behind her.

"Now, you listen to me--" he said, catching up with her.

"No."

"Don't you dare walk away!"

"I'm not going with you!"

She looked around the crowded street and saw Louis waving frantically, calling her name.

"Get in the car. RIGHT NOW," her father commanded.

Lyla had no choice. She gave Louis an apologetic look and got into her father's limo.

.........

"Louis!" One of his band mates had caught up to him, out of breath and very confused. "Do you remember what Dad used to say about princesses? They're always looking for their prince! And you ain't no prince, brother."

Louis glared at him. "How would you know?"

He looked at Lyla's car as it drove away. "What am I gonna do now?"


	6. Chapter 5

"**Purpose: it's that little flame that lights a fire under your ass."**

**-Princeton**

.........

**Chapter Five**

_**I know that my parents are out there.**_

_**Somewhere.**_

_**I don't know where the voice or the music comes from…**_

…_**but they're what I hold onto. **_

_**And I can't let go.**_

_**Somewhere inside me…**_

…_**I know that my parents always wanted me.**_

_**Maybe they just got lost.**_

.........

Evan looked up at the moon. It wasn't as full as the previous night, but it was full enough to hear the voice.

_**I'm alone in the universe…so alone in the universe…**_

Evan found it comforting to know that the voice belonged to a girl. Before, it seemed a bit eerie not knowing where the voice was coming from.

_**My own planets and stars are glowing…**_

Evan recognized the song. After the very strong "I Gotta Find You" song the voice had sang the previous night, it had begun to repeat the songs it had already sang. Evan didn't mind. He liked whatever the voice sang.

_**No one **__**notices anything…not one person **__**is listening…**_

Evan sat up. The voice was fading. It never did that.

Maybe…if he went outside…he could hear it better…

.........

A few minutes later, Evan was outside, standing in the snow, trying to listen for the voice. The wind blew on the power lines, playing the melody that the voice had been singing.

_**They don't have any way of knowing…**_

Evan heard the voice. He smiled and began to sing.

_Nobody knows that I have wings…_

_**I have wings…**_

_And I can fly…_

_**I can fly…**_

_Around the moon_

**And far beyond the sky…well, someday soon…you will hear my plea:**

_One small voice in the universe…_

_**One true friend in the universe…**_

**Please…believe in me…**

The wind blew harder on the power lines, encouraging Evan to follow them down the road. And Evan did. He decided he was going to take his own advice.

If the voice and his parents weren't gonna find him…

…he would find them.

.........

The next few months took a beating on both Lyla and Louis. They thought of each other all the time. And each time they did, it reminded them that they would probably never see each other again.

Louis at least had a bit of comfort in the Polaroid picture he carried with him everywhere. Lyla had nothing.

That is…until the day she found out she was pregnant.

.........

"What's the point of being in the band, Marshall?" Louis asked his brother one day. "She's not gonna hear me. I'm sorry, but I'm leaving the band.

"You can't quit on us, Louis," Marshall said.

"I can't do it."

"You're staying!" Frank said, putting him in a headlock. "You have nowhere else to go!"

"Just let me go! Will you just let me go?!"

.........

Her father didn't take her pregnancy lightly.

"Everything you've given up, everything I've given up…you know what I mean, Lyla?"

"Dad!"

"I mean, where are you gonna put the baby? And what about this boy? No…this…riffraff? He's not here now!"

Lyla couldn't take anymore. She got up and left the restaurant.

"Lyla! Get back here!"

She didn't listen. She wasn't listening to anything anymore.

Which is why she didn't hear the car coming.

Which is why she was hit by its squealing tires.

.........

Lyla woke up hours later, in the emergency room. She hardly remembered being rushed there, but she did remember the bright lights…all those surgeons surrounding her…telling each other, "The baby's heart rate is falling…it's falling…"

She turned over in bed and saw her dad. He had a sad look on his face.

"I'm sorry," he told her. "He's gone."

He reached out a comforting hand, but she pulled away. She didn't want to see him at the moment. After all, he was the one who had driven her out of the restaurant, driven her to be hit by a car.

Driven her child to the point of premature death.

All she wanted to do now was go to sleep and forget about the whole thing.

.........

But what she didn't know was that in the room where they kept all the newborn babies was that one was moving, transfixed by the musical carousel the nurse had put on.

And that baby was hers.


	7. Chapter 6

"**Luck never gives; it only lends."**

**-Ancient Chinese Proverb**

.........

**Chapter Six**

_**I need to find you…I gotta find you…**_

For the second time in three days, Evan was awaken by the voice singing its signature plea. He looked around and realized he had been sleeping in a truck.

"Yeah…picked him up on the thruway outside of Montrose…" a man outside was saying into a phone. "Just wandering down the road…says he's following the music of some voice in the wind…the moon told him to…he says that the voice is someone he doesn't know, most likely a girl…yeah, I know. The kid's a space cadet."

Evan was able to lift the back door of the truck. When he did, he was startled to see the surrounding buildings and the bright lights everywhere. He had ended up in Manhattan.

"All right," the man with the phone said. "Out you go. This…Jeffries guy wasn't in his office yet, so I left him a message to pick you up right here when he does."

The words of the voice echoed in his head over and over. "Okay," Evan said absently.

"Here," the man said, handing him Mr. Jeffries's card. "Now, don't lose it. If he doesn't show up in an hour, give him another call. You can handle that, right?"

"Yeah."

"You got any money?"

Evan shook his head.

The man fished in his pocket for some bills. "Here's twelve bucks." Evan took the money and looked at it as if it were some sort of alien life form.

"Damn, kid, put it in your pocket!" the man said, a little frustrated.

Evan did as he was told.

"See ya," the man said, driving away.

Evan began to walk around a bit. He heard the different sounds of the city, all blending together to create a unique symphony.

_**Dude…make music.**_

The voice was back, and it was…talking.

_**It's all there. Just…listen.**_

He decided to listen. He began to conduct all the sounds of the city, and it sounded really cool.

Except when it was all coming together, the number flew out of his hands and went down the sewer.

_Oh, snap…I'm screwed._

Now the city didn't seem so musical or interesting anymore. It seemed…frightening. And unfamiliar. And not very friendly.

_**Just…follow the music.**_

Evan cocked his head. The voice was telling him something.

_**Follow the music. **_

He saw a kid with an afro playing a guitar. He guessed that's what the voice meant by "follow the music".

He went over to the kid. On the guitar case was a hand-made sign that said, "The Musical Stylings of Arthur X. Donations Appreciated."

Evan looked up at the boy strumming the guitar. He was really good.

Evan fished in his pocket for some money and put one dollar in the guitar case. The boy--who was presumably Arthur--stopped playing and picked up the dollar.

"Okay, citizen. You paid. Any requests?" He lowered his voice. "Please--no songs from Rent. I get enough of that every day, already."

"Huh?" Evan didn't know what Arthur was talking about. He didn't pay rent…

"Never mind," Arthur said. "Any requests?"

"No."

"Alrighty, then…"

Arthur began to sing and play the guitar again. Evan watched, mesmerized by the guitar. He got a little too curious and tried to touch the guitar.

"Whoa, whoa!" Arthur exclaimed. "Back off! Away, away. Yo, son…you're messing with my equilibrium!"

"Your whaty-who?" Evan asked, confused.

"Nobody touches this instrument but me! Roxy's my girl. Son, we done here, so why don't you go find your mommy?"

"I don't know where she is," Evan said truthfully.

"Oh, that's just great," Arthur said sarcastically. "Just great! Cops show up around six. Tell them you're AWOL. They'll send you back where you came from."

"I don't wanna go back there."

"Well…good," Arthur said. "This day's been a bust, anyway. I'm out." Arthur began to walk away. Evan followed him.

"What?" he asked, turning around.

"I don't have a place to stay."

Arthur's brow furrowed. "Do I look like a real estate tycoon to you?"

Evan shrugged.

"How many dead presidents you got?" Arthur asked.

"What?"

"The money?"

Evan went in his pocket and showed Arthur the remaining eleven dollars.

Arthur nodded. "You thinking what I'm thinking?"

"No. I'm…thinking something else."

Arthur thought for a minute. "I'm gonna let you buy me a pizza. Preferably from Domino's."

.........

Mr. Jeffries reached the place where Evan was supposed to be waiting for him. He was about to apologize for being late when he realized there was a problem.

Evan wasn't there.


	8. Chapter 7

_A/N_

_Hello! Hope y'all are enjoying the story!_

_P.S. Any songs and quotes I use...I don't own them. And I don't own Rent, either. Regular disclaimer rules and regulations apply._

.........

"**Love is a snowmobile racing across the tundra and then suddenly it flips over, pinning you underneath. At night, the ice weasels come."**

**-Matt Groening **

.........

**Chapter Seven**

_SAN FRANCISCO..._

In San Francisco, Louis climbed into a taxi cab. He was now a successful business man, running around like a chicken with his head cut off to get things done. It was very stressful job.

And what made it more stressful was that his niece--the one who liked ponies and rainbows--was now a teenager who had gone missing a few years earlier. The police had never found her, but Louis knew his niece well enough to know that she was getting along fine.

If she'd just call once in a while…maybe…

"Need anything, sir?" the cab driver asked.

"Do you know any hit men?"

"I do know a bass player who might be able to help you. Likes to get in fights with lead singers."

Louis perked up when he realized who it was. "Nick?"

The cab driver laughed.

"What are you doing, man?" Louis asked, also laughing.

"Still driving. Paying off those wedding bills from last year." He paused. "So…you playing at all?"

"Nope."

"Why the hell not? Your fingers fall off or something?"

"Well…you move on."

Nick gave him a stern look.

"Okay, okay. I haven't been able to focus on music much after…well…Annie ran away."

Nick put the brakes on the car and turned around in his seat. "She did WHAT now, man?"

"Yeah. She ran away a few years back. Police insist she's dead…but I know her better than that. She's fine. I just wish she'd at least call me…I'd like to know where she is…"

Louis decided to change the subject. "How are the other lads? Seen any of them lately?"

"We still mess around, but the Connelly Brothers never really bounced back minus one brother."

Louis was quiet for a minute. "Seen Marshall lately?"

"Have you?"

The car was, once again, filled with silence.

"It's my birthday on Saturday," Nick said happily. "Session's at my place. Come. You can bring your girlfriend."

They pulled up to a curb. "It's great seeing you, man," Nick said. "Reminds me of New York. The good old days, huh?"

Louis was again quiet. Good old days? When Lyla was sent to the hospital? When Annie ran away from home?

Yeah…you could call them that.

.........

_CHICAGO..._

In Chicago, Lyla was walking on the sidewalk with a little girl, singing something. The little girl was trying to guess what it was.

"Oh, I know!…I know…Okay, I don't know."

"That's okay," Lyla said. "It's 'Fur Elise' by Beethoven. And you should know that one."

"Oh, yeah! Will you be our teacher forever, Miss Novacek?"

"Well…at least until your old teacher comes back. But only if you call me…?"

"Lyla!"

"That's right!"

"You're crazy, Miss Novacek!"

The girl's mom appeared from around the corner and waved. "Megan!" she called.

"Got everything?" Lyla asked.

"Yep! Bye!"

Megan ran to her mom. Lyla couldn't help thinking how great it would be to have a child. She almost did once…but that was eleven years and some odd days earlier--

"There you are!" Liz said. "Okay, before you say no…picture this: you. Onstage. Me accompanying. Thousands of people."

"Liz…"

"Come on! It's the New York Philharmonic! I just got the invite. They want you back! It's just one night, but they want you back."

Lyla was speechless. "I don't wanna be up there," she said.

Liz shook her head. "Lyla…when are you gonna let yourself be happy again?"

"I _am _happy," Lyla insisted.

"I'm talking about when everyone else goes home."

Lyla had to admit, that made her think. But she wasn't gonna give in that easily.

"Look," she said after a minute. "I know. Okay? I know."

"Just think about it," Liz told her. "I mean, you're a music teacher who doesn't play music anymore."

"Call me crazy," Lyla said.

"Okay, Crazy. I'll see you at home, okay?"

Liz got up and walked away, leaving the invitation with Lyla. As soon as she knew Liz was out of sight, Lyla crumpled up the paper and threw it in a nearby trash can.


	9. Chapter 8

_Hey, y'all! Here's the chapter where Melanie comes in! Yay!_

_Um, just a note for future references: comments are welcomed. BUT PLEASE NO BASHING NOTES. Constructive criticism is encouraged...if you have any suggestions for me, let me know! But no "I hate this story and you can't write" comments...I don't enjoy reading them. And they're just plain rude. So...yeah._

_Enjoy!_

.........

"**Sometimes when you're lost at sea, someone will spot you."**

**-Clarice Bean**

.........

**Chapter Eight**

"I ain't got no daddy," Arthur told Evan as they walked down the street carrying a Domino's pepperoni pizza and a can of Pepsi. "See, my pops is a drunk and my mama, she took off with this crackhead named Little Jesus. But, you know, he wasn't no little Jesus, you know what I'm saying? No, they never gave a damn about me."

Evan had stopped to listen to music coming from a building. Arthur punched him in the arm. "Come on, man!"

They walked a little further to a hole in a wire fence that led to an abandoned theater. "This is us right here," Arthur said, climbing through. Evan tentatively followed.

"I've been with Wizard for years," Arthur explained as they climbed a flight of metal stairs.

"Who's Wizard?" Evan asked.

"Oh, he's a real piece of work, that's what he is. His real name is Maxwell Wallace. He took me in. He said that I was an investment. He gave me Roxy here. He bought it in the old days. Well…he didn't really buy it. Guess you could say that he kinda found it…all right, he stole it. Wizard gave me his place at the Square. My parents? They gave me nothing."

They finally reached the landing and stood before a big red door. "We all gonna be big stars someday," Arthur said proudly, pounding on the door.

"What's the password?" a voice asked.

"Just open the damn door already!" Arthur shouted.

The door opened. "You're getting on my nerves with that," Arthur told the kid as they went inside.

Evan looked around as he followed Arthur through the crowded theater. It had said on the door the building was condemned. Evan had to agree with the sign. The place was falling apart. And the kids that lived there weren't that friendly, either.

"Yo, this is our home, son," Arthur told him. "It's kinda crazy, so stay on your feet."

Arthur wasn't kidding. The kids there were crazy, running all over the place, throwing things and cursing at each other. Right away, Evan felt out of place and alone.

Arthur put the pizza box on the floor and opened it quietly. But that didn't stop the kids from yelling, "Pizza!" and crowding around the box, fighting each other for a slice of pizza.

As Arthur tried to ward off the other kids, Evan stepped back. As he did, he heard something sort of crunch under his feet. He lifted his foot and saw that he had stepped on some sort of chain.

He picked it up and examined it. The chain had two dog tags on it, and each one had something engraved on their fronts and backs. The first one had the word _RENT _on its front, and on the back said _No day but today_. The other dog tag had _Melanie Veronica Porter _on its front, and _Renthead 4 life _on the back.

Arthur was able to push his way out of the crowd, which was dispersing now. "Dude, those damn kids got all my pizza. They all gonna sleep with black eyes tonight, damn it…"

Evan didn't seem to care about the pizza. He showed Arthur the dog tags. "Is this yours?"

Arthur took one look at it and rolled his eyes. "No."

"Do you know who it belongs to?" Evan asked.

"Unfortunately. Come on."

Arthur led Evan to the stage, where a girl in a black zip-up hoodie and jeans was sitting on the edge, her feet dangling, playing a guitar. She was playing something that sounded familiar, but distant at the same time.

"There she is," Arthur said. "Melanie Veronica Porter. Fifteen years old, Resident Renthead and considered a freak by all. Her parents died about five years ago, and she's been living here ever since."

"Why is she…um…"

"A freak? Cause the only songs she can play--scratch that, will _ever _play--are songs from the show Rent. Plus, we don't trust her at all. I mean, she was living all high and mighty before her parents died. People know who she is. She can go and squeal to the fuzz that we're here whenever she wants. And the kids here think she's done it a couple times. But she hasn't. And I know. But it's better to leave things like they are."

Evan stood there a minute. "Um…thanks, but…I meant…why is she called…a…Renthead, was it?"

"Oh. That's easy. She likes Rent. Everyone obsessed with it is considered a 'Renthead'."

Evan guessed that that was the reason she had a black Rent zip-up hoodie and the dog tags.

"I think I'll go give these back to her," he finally said.

Arthur scoffed. "Good luck. She don't talk to no one anymore. Damn, she just glares at you. But that's probably cause everyone laughs at her all the time." And with that, Arthur walked away.

Evan climbed the side-steps of the stage and cautiously approached Melanie. She didn't seem to notice, so Evan finally tapped her on the shoulder. In one swift move, she stood up, adjusted her guitar strap so that the guitar hung from her back, and had her arms folded across her chest as if to say, _What do you need?_

"Um, hi," Evan said.

She just stared at him, impatience written all over her face.

"Um…I found your necklace," he said, holding the dog tags out to her. "I figured you might want them back."

Melanie's face changed to confused as she took the dog tags back. "Thanks," she said, sliding them over her head.

"Your welcome." Evan looked at her guitar. "What were you playing just now?"

She looked at him. "You really wanna know?"

"Yeah."

She sighed. "Okay. But if this is a trick or something, I'll be forced to beat you up." Evan gulped as he sat next to her.

"I was just playing 'Muzetta's Waltz'. Nothin' fancy or anything. Just…changing things up a bit."

"Can you play other things?"

"Well…kinda. I can play any song from Rent. And I can play bits and pieces of a few other songs. But…that's it."

"Are you a street performer or something?"

"Yeah. Against my will. I hate playing for money. It seems so…wrong. Music should be played for fun, not because you get paid for it. So I never open my guitar case or ask for donations or anything. But, just the same, people drop money next to my feet like they're holding a hot potato or something. And all the other kids hate me for it." She sighed again. "But I guess that's what I get for being a Renthead."

Evan nodded. "Well, if it helps…I don't think you're weird."

Melanie looked at him hopefully. "You…you don't?"

"Of course not. I think you're a really interesting person. And I can also tell that you need a friend. And…I'd like to be your friend." He stuck out his hand. "I'm Evan Taylor."

Melanie shook his hand, giggling. "Nice to meet you, Evan Taylor. I'm Melanie Porter."

Evan smiled at his new friend.

Things were already beginning to look up.


	10. Chapter 9

"**We can all hold hands around the campfire some other time!"**

**-Sharpay Evans**

.........

**Chapter Nine**

"Yo, you'd better get that outta here before Wizard shows," one of the kids said to Arthur. "Man, he'll be pissed if he finds out you bought a pie!"

"I ain't take no family money," Arthur said. "Citizen bought it."

"Yo, dog, I don't see no citizen."

"Here he comes right now."

Arthur waved to Evan and Melanie as they made their way over to him.

"Oh, look. It's the Renthead," the kid said. "Here to spread her sounds of torture and ways of darkness."

"And that's exactly why Jonathon Larson ended his phenomenal smash hit show with life," Melanie shot back.

"Dude, who cares what he did with the damn show? That piece of crap shouldn't have ever been put on Broadway. It's the stupidest thing I've ever heard of!"

Melanie glared at him. "Don't you have anything better to do?"

"No. I'm perfectly fine right here." He laughed. "Freak."

Evan was silent as he sat down on a crate next to Melanie. She seemed to be able to take care of herself. Most of the time.

"Hola, music lovers!" came a voice from the back. Evan looked to see a tall man in a cowboy hat making his way down to the kids. He guessed that this was the Wizard

The Wizard noticed the pizza box. "Oh…who likes pizza?"

Nobody answered.

"Who did this?!"

Nobody said anything.

Arthur was beginning to inch away behind a couple of kids. But the Wizard noticed him anyway.

"Arthur…" the Wizard gestured for him to come over. Arthur slowly slunked his way to the front, clearly busted.

"What is he?" the Wizard asked the others.

"He's a damn fool!" was the reply from the chorus of voices.

"He's gonna get it good!" someone said.

"He's being stupid like Renthead!" someone else said.

"Shh!" the Wizard signaled everyone to be quiet. "What are you, Arthur?" he asked.

"I'm a real piece of work, Wizard."

"You're on thin ice," the Wizard warned him.

"I didn't take no family money! Honest! He bought it. The kid sitting next to Renthead."

At this remark, all the kids started laughing. Evan's temper began to rise. He looked over at Melanie, who just sat still, taking in the rude comments as if they didn't bother her.

"God, that Renthead's messed in the head!"

"She's going to hell!"

"She's gonna get it GOOD!"

Evan's temper got the better of him and he finally lost it. He stood up and shouted, "Shut up! Just shut up! All of you!"

The kids listened, surprisingly. Even the Wizard was silent.

"Cut her a break, would you?! She's not any different from anyone else!"

Everyone stared at him. Including Melanie. Evan realized he had just embarrassed himself. He sat on his hands and stared at the Wizard.

"What?"

"You look crazy," Evan answered after a moment.

The Wizard scoffed. "I _am _crazy." He suddenly waved his hands like a madman and made a noise, spooking Evan.

The Wizard laughed. "See?" He looked Evan up and down. "Come here."

Evan sat still.

"NOW!!"

Evan got up. He looked at Melanie as he walked by, and she mouthed her thanks.

"What's your name?" the Wizard asked him.

"Evan, sir."

"What are you doing here?"

"I followed the music. The music of the voice."

The Wizard stared at him for a minute. Then he started to laugh. And so did everyone else. Except for Melanie, of course.

"Where did you pick this one up, Arthur?" the Wizard asked between laughs. "Believue?"

The Wizard took Evan's hands in his. After five seconds, he let go.

"You've never played a note in your life."

Evan saw out of the corner of his eye that Melanie was about to come over and defend him. He smiled a little.

"Do you even know what music is? It's God's little reminder there's something else besides us in the universe. Harmonic connection between all living beings everywhere, even the stars."

"Is this a school?" Evan asked.

"Yeah," Arthur answered jokingly. "The school of Screw You and Take All Your Damn Money!"

The kids started laughing again.

"Yeah! We're top of the class!" someone piped up.

"NOT!!" the Wizard shouted, and all was silent again. "It's a business." He took the hat off his head. "Pockets!" he ordered.

All the kids lined up, money in their hands. The Wizard walked around, and the kids put money in the hat.

"Now, children," the Wizard said. "The chain is only as strong…" he walked stopped in front of Arthur. "As its weakest link."

Arthur dropped a few coins in the hat. "Come on, Arthur. That's chump change. You and Mel got Washington Square. That was my spot for ten years." He sighed and let Arthur take some money.

He moved on down the line until, at last, he reached Melanie, who was the last one. She took out a huge wad of cash, and all the other kids stared at her, daggers for eyes.

"How much?" she asked.

"I'd say…fifty."

"Twenty-five."

"Seventy-five."

"Fifteen."

"Eighty."

"Fourty-five."

He sighed. "Deal." He walked away. "You kids are gonna put me in the poorhouse. All right, little mice, scurry back to your holes. Go."

The kids dispersed, scattering every which way. The Wizard went over to a big lever and switched it down. "Harmonic dreams, sweet children," he said as he walked away.

Evan stood still. He had nowere to go.

"Come on," Melanie said. "You can have my extra sleeping bag."


	11. Note from me

Hola, everyone! I'm SOOOO sorry I haven't been updating my stories recently. I've had one of the HARDEST weeks at school…I swear, my teachers give me so much long-term stuff, I can hardly keep track of it all!

Anyway, while I get said longterm stuff done, August Rush will be put on hold for a while. It's finished, but I've reread it and realized that it needs a MAJOR OVERHAUL. So one of my friends will be reading the story and giving me suggestions where I need to change things. I don't know how long this is going to take, but hopefully I'll get another chapter or two in by next weekend.

Until then…happy reading!

-ElphieThroppDG28


	12. Chapter 10

_**Hola! OMG here it is! Chapter Ten of August Rush! I know it's been SOOOOO long...sorry! Oh, and from now on, the rest of the story is partly credited to my friend who revised it (thanx, jr. mint!!)**_

**_Enjoy!!_**

.........

"**In the depth of winter, I finally learned that within me there lay an invisible summer."**

**-Albert Camus**

.........

**Chapter Ten**

_**Without you…the hand gropes…the ear hears…the pulse beats…**_

Evan woke up in the middle of the night to the voice again. He found he had wriggled all the way out of his sleeping bag. He was about to get back in it when he noticed that Melanie's was empty.

It's no sweat, he told himself. Maybe she needed to get a drink of water or something.

Or maybe she went for a walk.

Or maybe she was out on the roof.

Singing.

And if she was, could that mean…?

No. Absolutely no way could she be the voice.

Evan had considered she was the voice when she sang him a lullaby just before he had drifted off, because she sounded just like it. But now that he thought about it, it seemed impossible. She appeared too street-wise to dwell that much on loneliness.

But the voice did seem clearer and closer here. And it would explain why Melanie's sleeping bag was empty. It would also explain why her guitar wasn't there…

Either way, Evan was going to find out. He got out of his sleeping bag and found his way towards the stairs.

.........

Evan couldn't find the roof, but the voice stayed with him, all the same. He was able to find a cold pizza crust along the way.

_**Without you…the eyes gaze…the legs walk…the lungs breathe…**_

He snuck by the Wizard's room and wandered around some more and finally gave up going up to the roof. Melanie was probably back by now from…wherever she had been.

He began to try and find his way back when he realized something. No one was awake. And no one was going to yell at him if he played one of the guitars…even for just a minute…

.........

Evan finally found Arthur's guitar, went into a vacant room, and sat before it. He strummed it a little. It didn't seem too hard to play.

He drummed the strings on the neck. It had more reverb than strumming.

Maybe he could stay here a bit longer…it wouldn't hurt anyone…right?

.........

Melanie woke up early the next morning to hear someone playing a guitar. No, not any guitar--it was Roxy.

She cocked her head and listened, wondering who would be that stupid (even though whomever it was sounded really good). She looked over at Evan's empty sleeping bag.

That was it.

She ran to get the Wizard.

_God, he's stupid_, she thought as she ran. _Is he just asking for it?_

But she couldn't help smiling to herself.

_But I knew it. I knew all along that there was something special about him. I knew he could do it._

.........

Evan drummed the guitar, a big smile on his face. He was actually doing it. He was playing the guitar!

He hardly noticed that Melanie and the Wizard were standing in the doorway, transfixed by his playing.

"Roxanne!" came Arthur's voice further down the hall. "Man, I'm gonna kill him!" But just the same, he stood in awe, watching Evan.

More and more kids crowded the doorway to see what all the commotion was about. And when they got there, all they could do was stand with their mouths open, watching the eleven-year-old boy play the guitar.

"What did I tell you?" Melanie said to the Wizard. "This kid's got talent."

.........

After discovering Evan's raw talent, the Wizard decided that the kid should sleep in his room, despite Evan's protests that he felt much safer with Melanie. In truth he did, but he also was worried that she'd be put down even more without him there.

Evan lay next to the Wizard on the floor in a sleeping bag, remembering what Melanie had told him. _"Don't worry about me, Evan. I'm practically an adult. I can take care of myself."_

_Then why do you sit on the roof at night, crying out for help?_

"You know what's out there?" the Wizard asked him, jerking him out of his thoughts.

Evan looked up at the broken skylight on the ceiling and shook his head.

"A series of higher tones," the Wizard answered. "It's arranged by nature. It's governed by the laws of physics of the whole universe. It's an overtone…it's an energy…it's a wavelength. And if you're not riding it, good Lordy, you'll never hear it."

_Maybe that's how I hear Melanie…_

"Where do you think it comes from?" Evan asked. "I mean…what I hear?"

"I think it comes from all around you, really," the Wizard told him. "I mean, it's…it comes through us…some of us. It's invisible, but…you feel it."

_Melanie isn't invisible. She's…just scared to show her face._

"So only some of us can hear it?" Evan asked.

The Wizard shrugged. "Only some of us are listening."

It finally clicked in Evan's head. _I get it now. Melanie's cry for help could be heard by anyone…anyone in the world…but because I listen for the music…because I want to be loved…I can hear her._

"Do you think my parents are listening?"

"_I_ hear you, kid."

Well…that was true.

"Do you think that…whatever it is…some of it's made by other people?"

"It's…it's possible, I suppose," the Wizard said. He gave Evan a quizzical look. "Why do you ask?"

"I'm just wondering," Evan said quickly. He smiled to himself as he heard her sing.

_**And when you're dying in America…at the end of the millennium…you're not alone…I'm not alone…I'm never alone…**_

_I wish you'd take that song's advice, Melanie. Because it's right._

_Now that I'm your friend…you're never alone._


	13. Chapter 11

"**Sometimes people say what they gotta say--and just feel worse."**

**-Clarice Bean**

.........

**Chapter Eleven**

_SAN FRANCISCO…_

"Are you listening to a word I'm saying?" Louis's girlfriend, Jennifer, asked him as they got out of the car. They were at Nick's for his birthday party, but Louis seemed to be in another world.

"Louis?"

He came out of his thoughts and looked at her, struck dumb for a second.

"Come on!" Jen said. "It's about time I met your family."

Louis was about to reply when he heard the song he had sang so many years ago drifting out of the house. Back when he knew Lyla…

"Listen, Jen," he said. "Maybe this isn't such a good idea."

Jen shook her head. "Grow up," she told him.

Inside, there were a lot of people milling about, drinking beer and talking. There was a projector that projected a recording of Louis and his brothers at one of their shows. The recording was from the night he had met Lyla…

"Are Irish people always this loud?" Jen asked.

"Um…yeah," Louis said absently.

Everyone was saying "hi" to him, but he didn't notice. He didn't feel very comfortable being there at the moment, with that particular song playing in the background…

"Oh, my God!" Jen said, surprised at the video. "Is that you, Louis?" She glared at him. "When were you gonna tell me you were in a band?"

Louis was speechless.

"I'm sure there's a lot of things our Louis hasn't told you, darling," Marshall said, coming over. "Who did you write the song for?"

Louis steered Jen toward the door. "I told you this was a mistake coming here."

"That's it, go on!" Marshall called. "Walk out on us again."

Louis stood there, seething. He turned around and headed for Marshall.

"Say what you gotta say," he said hotly.

"Go on. Walk out."

"Say what you gotta say. Come on!" Louis pushed him a little.

"Oh! Is that the best you can do?" Marshall challenged.

"Just say it!"

They started wrestling, swinging their fists at each other. They finally stopped, Louis out of breath.

"You all right, man?" Marshall asked. He turned to Jen. "Welcome to the Connelly clan."

Jen shook her head and walked out.

Louis sighed and followed her. "Jennifer…"

But it was too late. She drove away in her Cadillac, leaving Louis on the curb.

_Wow…first Lyla, then Annie…and now Jennifer? Women must have a habit of ditching me…_

Marshall had followed him outside. He put a bottle of beer next to Louis.

"You know…it was good having the old Louis back in there…even if it was only for a second."

He watched Jennifer's tail lights fading. "Louie…aren't you supposed to be in the car with the girl as she drives off into the sunset?"

This made Louis laugh a little. And it made him feel better.

"You'll get your suit dirty sitting there, man," Marshall said, and left Louis alone with his thoughts.

.........

_CHICAGO…_

Lyla was jerked awake by the phone ringing. She was too lazy to get up and answer it, so she let the answering machine pick it up.

"SPEEEEEAAAAK!!" _Beep!_

Lyla had to smile to herself. Liz must have changed the answering machine greeting to something from Rent…

"This is a message for Lyla Novacok," a lady said after the beep. "Please call Good Samaritan Hospital. I'm calling about your father, Thomas Novacok."

This was enough to get Lyla out of bed and off to Good Samaritan Hospital.

.........

Lyla peeked into her father's hospital room. He was in a bed with tubes sticking out of his arms. Lyla shivered a bit. She never really would get used to seeing people being fed medication through tubes.

"I wasn't sure you were going to come," he said. "My will is in the top drawer of the desk in my study."

"Dad, stop," Lyla said. "Come on. Don't talk like that."

"Lyla, please. There's more."

She sat on the edge of his bed. "I'm listening."

"All I ever wanted was for you to have all that promise, all that life. But you were so young. We had so much work to do. You weren't ready…"

"That's plenty, Dad," Lyla assured him, taking his hand. "Really."

But he didn't listen. "I mean…the baby…he could have hurt you…"

Lyla straightened up. This was something she'd never heard before.

"He could've hurt you," her father continued. "And I…I wasn't gonna let that happen, Lyla. I made a choice for us."

_The baby…was put up for…adoption…_

Lyla stared at him. "Oh…my…God…"

_Dad forged my signature…_

"A choice for us…" he insisted.

_That means…he's still alive…_

"I'm sorry…"

Lyla was hurt for a moment. But she finally managed to get out, "Where? Where is he?"

"I didn't mean--"

"Stop beating around the bush, Dad," Lyla said loudly and firmly. "Where is he?"

"I don't know…I just…don't…"


	14. Chapter 12

_Hola! Sorry I haven't been updating lately...like I said in my Spiderwick Chronicles story, I've been reading "A Separate Peace" for English, and I'm not really enjoying it (again, no offense to anyone who likes the story). And because I'm not enjoying it, it's taking me a while to read. But I'm really close to being done, and I'll probably finish today or tomorrow. And when I'm done, I can start reading for fun again! (And I guess I can post more chapters...ha, ha...jk, jk...)_

_So...here's another chapter of August Rush! Happy reading!_

.........

"**Nothing is too wonderful to be true."**

**-Michael Faraday **

.........

**Chapter Twelve**

Over the next few weeks, Evan could be found out in the park with the Wizard, working on his performance skills. Melanie always tagged along, partly because Evan insisted and partly because the Wizard saw what good influences she had on him.

"You gotta love music more than you love food," the Wizard had told him. "More than life. More than yourself."

"And more than cheese curds…" Melanie had piped up, playing with her dog tags.

Evan had to laugh at this. Melanie put in the randomest things in the world that no one would think was funny. And yet…he found himself laughing. He liked it when she did that.

"You feel it?" the Wizard had asked.

Evan nodded. He felt it, all right.

And part of it was standing right in front of him, still fiddling with her Rent dog tags.

"Then show me," the Wizard had said, handing him a guitar pick. "Play it for your parents. Play it for Mel."

Evan nodded and began to play. Halfway through, he looked at Melanie, who had the biggest grin on her face. This made him smile, too, and he played more intently.

The Wizard smiled and dropped some money into the open guitar case, and then Melanie did. And pretty soon, other people followed their lead. All were truly amazed by Evan's raw talent.

Everyone, that is…except one.

Now, Arthur kept telling himself not to be jealous of Evan. It wasn't his fault he was so good. But Arthur couldn't help noticing that Evan was rolling in the cash…and that he was making more than even Melanie made in a single day…

"You're flying, kid," the Wizard said while Evan played.

"He's more than flying," Melanie said. "He's soaring."

.........

"You know what I'm thinking?" the Wizard said later that day.

Evan looked at him expectantly.

"You're supposed to say, 'What are you thinking, Wizard?'" Melane prompted.

"Oh. Okay. What are you thinking, Wizard?"

"I teach you everything I know for free. You get Roxanne. You get my corner of the park…maybe even share it with Mel now and then. You get to keep half the tips, like Mel does. All three of us…we're like a team. We're Team Awesome!" He sighed. "There's something wrong with that picture."

"What?" Evan asked.

"I don't think performing in parks and on street corners is gonna be enough for you."

Melanie gasped, jumping up and down. "Oh, my God. Are you saying he's…?"

"Yep." He turned to Evan. "Evan…buddy…we're gonna need to get you a new name. Something a little more pop."

Arthur stood leaning against a lamppost. He told himself to keep his temper down. But it was so hard! Evan got all the attention…and he'd only been performing for a few weeks!

"What do you want to be in the world?" the Wizard asked Evan. "In the whole world, what do you wanna be? Close your eyes and think about it."

Evan did so and opened his eyes. "Found," he said.

"Doesn't have enough yin," the Wizard told him.

"I think it's cool," Melanie said. "But…it does need something…like…yang!"

"That's it, Mel! Yang! It needs a little more yang!"

At that moment, a semi-truck drove by. On it's side read, "August Rush to the Beach."

"Talk about wishful thinking," the Wizard said. "Look at that! What name stands out to you on that truck?"

"Beach?" Evan tried.

"Well…it's a good name…" Melanie said.

"Yeah…for a band…" the Wizard said. "But not a performer. You can't say, 'Please welcome Beach.'"

"Oh, I got it!" Melanie said, jumping off the bench. "August Rush!"

"Yeah! She's got it!" the Wizard exclaimed. "The Future Idina Menzel's got it! August Rush! Doesn't that warm you a bit? I can see it now…'Wizard Productions presents…the number one heat wave…'" He pointed at Melanie.

"August Rush!" she finished, laughing.

"That's me!" Evan said happily.

"Oh, God, it gives me chills!" the Wizard said. He gave Evan a piggy-back ride.

"I'm flying! I'm soaring!" Evan sang.

"It's soaring and flying…" Melanie said, laughing. "But who cares? You're August Rush!"

All three of them started to chant: "August Rush…August Rush!"

And for the first time in a long time, Evan felt like he belonged.


	15. Chapter 13

_Hey! August Rush is coming along a little faster...I know it's taking so long, but it's hard for me and my friend to go over revisions cause of school and other things going on..._

_Anyway, here's another chapter! Happy reading!_

.........

"**Can you make yourself loved? Can you make yourself be loved?"**

**-Lena Kaligaris**

.........

**Chapter Thirteen**

_SAN FRANCISCO..._

Louis sat in his apartment, staring at his guitar in its guitar case. Surrounding it were pictures of him and his brothers--his band mates--screwing off and having fun. He even had one of his little niece and one of her many My Little Pony™ dolls. Those were good times…

Louis picked up the guitar to play, revealing a picture he had almost forgotten about. It was the one of him and Lyla on the morning after they had met. He picked it up and then looked out the window.

Maybe there was some joy still left in music after all…

.........

_CHICAGO...oh, sorry! My bad!_

_She's really in…_

"New York?" Liz asked over the phone. "Lyla…what are you doing in New York?"

"Lizzy," Lyla said, standing in a phone booth on a rainy day, joyful tears running down her face, "I've always felt that he was alive! I'd see kids that would be his age and I'd imagine what he looked like! Big blue eyes, like his dad--"

"Oh, my God, Lyla!"

"Lizzy, I used to lie in bed at night and I swear, I could hear him! I swear…I could hear him! And…come to think of it…on a couple nights I could hear him singing with a girl…"

"A girl? Lyla, you didn't have a daughter!"

"I know, I know…but I'd hear him singing with someone…and he sounded so happy!"

"Lyla, calm down," Liz said.

"Calm down?" Lyla asked incredulously. "How can I calm down? I've been calm for over ten years and look where it's gotten me!"

"Lyla," Liz said, giggling slightly. "You're losing it." Lyla was silent for a moment. "You're right…and maybe it's about time."

"Don't do anything crazy, okay, sweetie? We're on our honeymoon, but we're leaving. We'll get there as soon as we can, okay?"

Lyla couldn't say another word. She hung up the phone and started to cry again.

Her son was alive!

.........

Mr. Jeffries hadn't wasted any time making the fact that Evan had gone missing known. All over town, there were missing signs with his name, picture and information on them. Mr. Jeffries wanted to make sure someone found Evan A.S.A.P.

And the Wizard wanted to make sure no one found Evan just as badly.

The Wizard knew if Evan were to be found, he'd be taken away to some family that didn't even want him…or possibly back to the orphanage. The Wizard wouldn't have his newest success--and Melanie's only friend--snatched out of his grasp.

So whenever the Wizard saw one of the missing signs, he'd promptly tear it down and throw it in the nearest trash can. He wasn't about to upset Melanie or Evan in any way.

.........

"Okay, Jack, he's worth three times what you're offering him," the Wizard said later that day to a bald man.

"Wallace--" Jack began.

"You heard him in the park!"

"You're a pain in the arse!"

"Excuse me!" Melanie piped up. "Not in front of the children, please!"

"You shut up, you little brat!" Jack shouted, making Melanie shrink back and hide behind Evan.

Jack glared at her before continuing. "I'll give him two-fifty if he can play for two hours. And maybe a little moola for the little loud mouth if she keeps quiet."

"No way," the Wizard said. "Five, or he walk."

"Five hundred?! I'll give him 250 and maybe 100 for the girl…"

"Five hundred, or he walks!"

"He walks?"

Evan was beginning to understand why Melanie hated playing for money. It was just so…wrong…

"We have lightning in a bottle, Jack….no, of course there's no parents, I'm his guardian…no, she's not his sister! She's his…emotional support…. I'm his representation…that's why I'm making the deal…"

Evan and Melanie quietly slipped out the back door. All the way, Evan knew that what he was doing was wrong.

Wrong…wrong…wrong…

.........

"May I help you?" an emotionless woman asked behind a desk.

A sopping-wet Lyla stood before her. "I'm looking for my son."

"Name?"

"I don't know…"

.........

"I'm sorry, ma'am," another lady said. "We're closing."

Lyla was in a different building now, with her son's birth certificate. "Please," she begged, "I just wanna know his name…"

The lady sighed. "To even consider re-establishing contact with a child, there is a detailed process…"

"I don't care about the friggin' process, okay?!" Lyla shouted, loud enough for everyone to hear.

Loud enough for Mr. Jeffries to hear.

"Ma'am," the lady said. "We're closed. Come back tomorrow."

.........

Evan stood stock still while he waited for Melanie to find her dog tags. Those crazy things were always coming loose…

While he waited, he watched little kids playing, calling out for their mothers. It made him wish that he had a mom, too…

He caught himself. He wasn't gonna do this. He wasn't gonna make himself upset over this.

He'd think about something else. Like how Melanie's dog tags were attached to the lousiest chain in the world…

All those little kids with mothers who'd push them on the swings…

Those dog tags…man, were they elusive…

The warm hugs…gosh, that must feel wonderful…

That stupid, stupid chain…he kept telling her to get a new one…

_It must suck to never know who your mother is, because then she'd…_

_If Mel doesn't get a new chain soon, those tags will…_

…_be gone forever._

"I found em!" Melanie called, walking over to Evan and holding up her dog tags triumphantly. "I should really get a new chain--"

She noticed Evan's face filling with tears. "Is something wrong?"

She looked to where he saw all of the mothers and their kids and she instantly understood. "Oh, God, sweetie, is everything okay?"

The last thing he wanted was Melanie's pity. The last thing he wanted was for her to realize he wasn't as strong as she thought he was. The last thing he wanted was for her to see him cry.

But the thing he wanted right then was a hug from her.

And it felt good to know she was there, holding him.

Because, as of right then, Melanie was the closest thing he'd get to a mother for a while.


	16. Chapter 14

_Hey, everyone! Just thought I'd do a Halloween update...now that I've finished posting the Spiderwick Chronicles, I'll have more time to post this story and my Arthur sequel! Yay!_

_WARNING: Next week is mid-term for me. I will most likely be on the computer solely for school purposes Monday-Thursday or studying like a chicken with my head cut-off for all my mid-term tests, which leaves me no time to update. And on Saturday I'm busy all day with a birthday party/sleepover and also going to see _Wicked _(yes...I'm FINALLY going to see it! I'm so excited!). But Friday and Sunday will give me time to update my stories and other things. Just thought I'd give everyone a heads-up...I'll be sticking notes likes these (not as long, though) in each chapter I post from now until next Sunday._

_Happy Halloween! _

.........

**"Hugs are just a daily reminder that someone out there cares about you." **

**-ElphieThroppDG28 **

.........

Chapter Fourteen

_SAN FRANCISCO..._

"Hi, it's Lyla--"

"And Lizzy! And for the record, we would have still had that beastly voicemail greeting from Rent, but Lyla made me change it!"

"Oh, yeah…I'm the bad guy here. Anyway, we're not here right now, so leave a message."

Lewis slammed down the phone a little harder than he had intended. He sat at his desk and sighed. That was the fifth time he had tried her house.

Where else could she be?

Unless she had one of those biographies online…

Wow. He was stupid. _Why hadn't I thought of that before? _he asked himself as he typed her name in the Google™ search engine.

He clicked on the first website listed and skimmed the page until he found the phrase he was looking for: "…currently resides in Chicago, Illinois…"

That was all he needed. He got up from his desk, grabbed his jacket and ran out the door.

He had a plane to catch.

.........

"Arthur!" the Wizard called, walking up to Arthur, who was talking to a tall man with some flyers. "What did I tell you about talking to strangers?"

"Yeah…" Arthur said, turning back to the man. "What's your name?"

"My name is Mr. Jeffries," the man said. "And yours?"

"Arthur." He turned back to the Wizard. "We ain't strangers no more."

"Look, Mr. Wallace," Mr. Jeffries pleaded. "I'm here taking my normal rounds. I'm trying to find these kids."

He held out some of the flyers. "Here, this girl. Her name's…uh…Melanie Porter, I believe? She's been missing for, what, five years? She's about fifteen now--"

"Don't know her, Mr. Jeffries," the Wizard said quickly.

"You sure? She's not hard to miss. She's about yay high," he said, measuring about how high she was with his hand. "Got wavy dark brown hair, blue eyes, plays the guitar…always got some silver dog tags with her? Seriously, she's the only one on the street who'd probably roughhouse anyone who hates the Broadway show Rent--"

"I said, I don't know her," the Wizard repeated.

Mr. Jeffries stared at him. "Okay…well, then, maybe you can help me with this young man." He handed the Wizard one of the dreaded Evan flyers.

"He's a little boy that came up missing recently and his name is Evan Taylor," Mr. Jeffries explained. "He's about…eleven?"

"And what if I find this Evan Taylor…or even that girl…Mallory…"

"Melanie--"

"Whatever. If I find either one--or both--and if I turn them over to you…what happens then? You don't care about kids once they're in the system."

"It's not like that--" Mr. Jeffries started to say.

"Oh, I know exactly what it's like! You don't follow up. And you throw them from place to place. Eventually, they end up in a place where they kick the crap out of the poor kids. Go to bed at night and try to close their eyes and ears…shut out the world…What happens to those kids? What do you think they hear?"

Mr. Jeffries was silent.

"What do you think they hear?" the Wizard demanded.

"Nothing," Arthur chipped in after being quiet for some time.

"Nothing," the Wizard agreed. "Nothing at all." He put his arm around Arthur.

"Are you sure you're all right?" Mr. Jeffries asked, looking from the Wizard to Arthur suspiciously.

"Yeah, I'm cool--"

"He's good," the Wizard cut in.

.........

"Fourteenth Precinct, Sergeant O'Malley speaking," said the man over the phone.

"Hi," Mr. Jeffries said. "Um, I need to ask a favor."

"What kind of favor?"

"You know that abandoned theater down a few blocks from Times Square?"

.........

"No, that doesn't cut it!" the Wizard screamed into a payphone that night.

With the Wizard screaming like a madman and Melanie shivering next to him, Evan had to play harder and faster to keep his nerves down.

"Oh, is that final?!" the Wizard barked. "Okay! Well, here's my final offer: we're history!" He hung up the phone and grabbed the guitar neck. "Deal's off!"

"But I wanna play," Evan insisted, irritated, still upset from earlier events that had taken place.

The Wizard grabbed Evan by his collar. "You play when I say play! You breathe when I say breathe!"

"Let go of him," Melanie said quietly.

"What was that?" the Wizard asked.

Melanie looked up. "Nothing," she finally said.

"Good. That's what I thought." He turned back to Evan. "I control your every move now. You got that, boy?!"

"But I have to play!"

The Wizard picked him up off the ground and pushed him against the chain-link fence leading to the abandoned theater.

"Wizard! I need them to hear! I need the voice to hear!"

"You forget about your parents!" he hollered. "You forget about that Goddamn voice! Your folks were pretty quick to forget about you! And I haven't heard that voice in a while, now!"

Evan was confused. How did he…?

"Yeah! That's right! I know! You think I'm deaf or something?!" He turned to Melanie, whose fists were clenched tightly. "Yeah! It's you, Mel! You're the voice! Oh, what a surprise! And don't think I can't hear you up on that roof at night, Mel, crying like a cat in a heat wave to someone for help. I mean…who _couldn't _hear that pointless, chalkboard sound that comes from your lungs every waking moment of the night?"

Melanie's fists tightened as she glared at the Wizard.

"You shut up and leave her alone," Evan muttered angrily.

"What did I just hear coming out of that mouth of yours?!" the Wizard inquired.

"You leave me with no choice," Melanie said to herself, and karate-chopped the Wizard in the back.

As he doubled over in pain, Melanie was quick to pull Evan a few feet away. When the Wizard got up, she was holding Evan protectively, her arms around his shoulders and head.

"Don't you dare take another step near him!" she said. "Just cause your life isn't going too hot right now, it doesn't mean that you can take it out on the innocent! God, I've seen this happen too many times to kids I don't even know, and I'm not about to let it happen to someone I care about."

The Wizard sighed. "You don't know how it could be for you. The both of you. You don't get how precious his gift is…and, for some reason, with Mel, it's stronger….You two are just kids…you don't know…but I do…I do, August." He looked back at them and sat down on the curb.

Evan was still trying to take in everything that had just happened when he realized that Melanie had let go of him and that she was crying.

And just like she had done for him earlier that day, he hugged her, letting her know he was there.

She had been there for him.

Now it was his turn to be there for his friend.


	17. Chapter 15

_Hey, everyone! I thought I'd do another update...I've got another Algebra II test and another Spanish II test, but I think I'm ready._

_Anyway...here's another chapter of August Rush! Enjoy!_

.........

"**When you wanna run like crazy, try standing still."**

**-Clarice Bean**

.........

**Chapter Fifteen**

As soon as they got in, the kids surrounded the Wizard, full of fear and anxiety.

"Wizard! Wizard!"

"Shh! Talk to me…what happened?"

"It's Arthur," one girl said. "The cops followed him back here. Although I'm sure that a certain Renthead tipped them off--"

"Hey! I never talk to the cops, all right?" Melanie said in her defense. "So y'all need to just shut up!"

The girl rolled her eyes.

"You know what? It doesn't matter," the Wizard said. "Tell everyone to split up. You know the drill."

The kids raced away.

"We gotta help Arty," Evan said, talking about Arthur.

The Wizard looked at him. "Forget about him. He's on his own now. It's his own fault the cops are here."

"No," Evan said firmly, racing back down the stairs leading to the theater.

"August! Get back here!"

"Would you give it a rest with that August Rush crap?!" Melanie snapped. "Now's not the time for that! And for the record, no one bought it, anyway! So drop it!" She turned around and ran after him.

_He's in deep water now… _she thought. _And now I've gotta get him out._

"He went over that way!" someone shouted. The police were all over the stage area, chasing scattered kids all over the place. Evan and Melanie stopped short on the steps and began to quietly sneak around, searching frantically for Arthur.

"Up there!" one of the policemen shouted, shining his flashlight across the room to where Arthur was hiding. "He's over here! Kid, don't move!"

Evan couldn't stand around letting Arthur get taken away. He had to do something.

"Hey, you!" he shouted.

The policemen looked his way.

"God, shut up!" Melanie hissed. "Over the last few weeks, I've grown to love you like a brother, Evan, I really have. But now's the time when I have to say: ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR FRIGGIN' MIND?!"

Evan didn't listen to her. He kept waving his arms and screaming at the top of his lungs.

"Cops! Cops!" he shouted. When he saw that they were coming their way, he grabbed Melanie by the wrist and took off running, slipping out the back door. When they got out there, the Wizard grabbed the both of them and pulled them to the side.

"Listen!" he said frantically, talking to Evan. "You can't let the cops catch you or Mel. If they do, you don't tell them your real names…because they'll send you two right back where you came from, you got that?"

He sighed. "I don't wanna lose you. Mel doesn't wanna lose you. And I know you sure as heck don't wanna lose me or her. And if we get separated, we meet at the arch in Washington Square."

They turned to see more squad cars pulling up.

"Do NOT tell them your real names," he said.

"There's a slight problem with that plan…" Melanie said.

"What?"

"I don't have an alias."

"Couldn't you have told me that sooner?! Um…you'll be…Juno. Yeah! Juno and August Rush. You got that?"

They both nodded their heads.

"When I say run, you run…okay?" the Wizard said as he walked over to talk to the cops who were coming through the hole in the gate.

The Wizard tackled them into the trash bags strewed along the alley. "Run!" he called. "Run, Juno and August, RUN!!!!!!!!!"

They took off running faster than they ever thought they could run. They knew at least one policeman was chasing them. And he was pretty fast.

But they needed to be faster.

They ran up a flight of stairs to the subway train and jumped on just as the policeman came through the gate.

They both gave a sigh of relief.

They were safe.

For now.

.........

Evan and Melanie finally emerged from the subway about half an hour later. It had gotten colder outside, and they had no idea where they where.

"Well…" Melanie said, sighing, "I guess it's just the two of us now. We gotta stay together. The Wizard never jokes about the Buddy System. This city is filled with unknown surprises…and that's not always a good thing."

Evan nodded, and the two of them walked down the street until they came upon a church. Both Melanie and Evan heard people inside, so they went up to the windows and peered in.

Inside, there was a bunch of people, all singing. And then there was a little girl who was standing with them, singing louder than the others. And her voice was something to sit up and listen to.

Evan and Melanie quietly walked in, walking up one of the side aisles, transfixed. The girl--whose name was Hope--saw them as she sang, utterly confused to see two riffraff kids in the church, staring at her. They must be a couple or something…

But…she let them stare. This couple seemed nice…

However…one of them did kinda look a little…woozy…

Suddenly, Melanie tripped over her own two feet and fell. The music came to a screeching halt and everyone rushed over to where she was.

"Melanie!" Evan cried. "Oh, my gosh…Mel…come on, are you with me?…"

But he slowly realized that Melanie was out cold.


	18. Chapter 16

_A/N_

_OMG so I was on YouTube watching "Phantom" videos (I have school off today) when I found this deleted scene from the movie, where the Phantom sings a song called "No One Would Listen" (and it's to the tune of "Learn To Be Lonely", the song during the end credits). Anyway, I listened to the lyrics, and I was like, Oh my gosh this sounds kinda like Melanie and Evan's situation!!!!! _

_So now I have another idea for a deleted scene...sadly, I can't post anything yet, because:_

_1) I need to finish posting some more chapters before I post the new deleted scene (if I posted it now, no one would understand what's going on and it would also give more of the story away, which I don't want)..._

_2) I need to actually type the scene out...I just have the idea, not the actual wording yet..._

_3) Wait...there is no 3...never mind..._

_If anyone wants to check out the song ("No One Would Listen"), feel free to look up the lyrics or go on YouTube and watch the accompanying video with Gerard Butler (yes...we all know how sexy he is...jk, jk...), because they don't have it available on iTunes or anything! NOOOOO!!!!_

_Okay...this notes getting WAY TOO LONG...sorry! Enjoy another chapter of August Rush!_

.........

"**Not all who wander are lost."**

**-J.R.R. Tolkein**

.........

**Chapter Sixteen**

Mr. Jeffries walked up to his office building the next day when he was stopped by a woman who had been waiting on the steps.

"Hi," she said.

"Hi…"

"Okay…I know this looks crazy…but I'm not. Crazy, I mean."

"Nobody said you were. What's your name?"

"Lyla Novacek."

"Oh, you…from the other night…" Mr. Jeffries said, remembering. "Well, it's like the woman explained to you, you fill out a couple of forms--"

"Six months," Lyla interrupted. "Six months is what they said. I don't have six months for pointless forms."

"Then I can't help you." He walked up the steps, stopped, and turned around. "Explain something to me: why now? Why not before? Why is it so important that you want him now?" Lyla was quiet for a second. "I've always wanted him," she said simply. "I've waited eleven years, two months, and fifteen days to find out that he's alive. He's alive…and with…someone…a…guardian angel…or something…"

Mr. Jeffries stared at her.

"I've been counting," she said.

.........

_CHICAGO..._

Louis stood on the side of the road and heard Lyla's voicemail come on for the tenth time. He angrily shut his phone.

Why wouldn't she pick up?

Was she ignoring him or something?

Well…it wouldn't be the first woman in his life to do so…

He waited outside of her house for hours, waiting for her to pick up. But she never did.

"Hey, you," a police officer called from a car nearby. "What are you waiting for?"

"You see…I know this girl," Louis explained. "She lives across the street. Lyla Novacek. I've been standing outside here, waiting…I wrote her a song."

"Oh…that musician," a woman commented, walking by. "She keeps me up half the night. Well, I haven't seen her in a few days. She's off on her honeymoon."

Louis stood still as the lady walked away.

"Thanks," he muttered, not really meaning it.

.........

A few hours later, he was back to square one: the airport. He got ready to board his plane back to San Francisco when he saw that another plane was boarding.

This one was going to New York City.

That was where his niece had disappeared five years earlier.

Louis suddenly had the impulse to go to New York.

Maybe he would find his niece.

And maybe, if he was lucky, Lyla.

.........

Lyla sat on the other side of Mr. Jeffries's desk as he read over Evan's birth certificate.

"So…this isn't your signature?" he thought out loud to himself. He sighed. "You do realize he's probably already been placed in a family, correct? And that this…guardian angel…she's probably some sort of ragamuffin off the streets, trying to manipulate him--"

"Don't even say that," Lyla said. "I'm not stupid, but I'm not deaf, either. I know that this…guardian angel…is a good person. She's helping him."

She gave him a quizzical look. "Do you have children, Mr. Jeffries?"

There was a moment of silence before he answered with, "Yeah…I did."

"Then you know."

Mr. Jeffries sighed. "What's his birthday?"

"December 17th, 1995."

He typed the date into his computer and scanned the results. Only one came up.

He stared at the screen and then at Lyla. "Excuse me a minute," he said, getting up from his chair.

Lyla glanced over to a bulletin board full of pictures of recently missing children. She looked them over and saw a picture of Evan, and instantly knew that he was her son.

"This is him," Mr. Jeffries said, coming back with the exact same picture.

"Yeah…" Lyla said. "I know."

.........

"OW!!!!" Melanie said, bumping her head rather hard. She tried to sit up, only to smack her head again.

She laid back down, clearly defeated. It was bad enough that she and Evan were on the run. Now she had hurt her head. Twice. And all because she was…under a bed?

How the heck had she gotten all the way under a bed? She wasn't sure. After walking into the church the previous night, everything seemed to have gone by in a very fast-moving blur.

Slowly, it was all coming back to her…the church…the choir…the heater being on a little too high…

She remembered becoming gradually tired and warm as she watched the choir singing…and then she remembered kind of…tripping…yes, tripping…over her own two feet. She remembered being on the floor…the stone, cold floor…

Then she remembered the choir stopping. Some of the members said, "Oh, Jesus! What's wrong with her?"

And Evan had simply said, "Melanie?…Mel, are you with me?…"

And then everything had gone black.

_That's weird…how could I have…just lost it like that? Wait a second…I've done that before!…Yeah…in church…when I was little…I passed out because it was too warm…_

That was it! She had passed out in the church because of the heat.

But that still didn't explain how she had wound up under a bed…

She suddenly heard the sound of a piano. Melanie looked around under the bed to see another sleeping bag.

But it was empty.

Melanie smiled and wiggled her way out from under the bed.

She knew exactly where Evan was.


	19. Chapter 17

A/N

_Hola! OMG I GO SEE WICKED TODAY AT 2!!!! I'M SO EXCITED!!!!!!_

_Anyway, I'm dedicating this chapter to my best friend, A.K. (he came up with one of the lines Hope says in this chapter...I'm going to let you guys guess which one it is...)._

_Oh, and I finishd the deleted scene with the Phantom song! All I have to do is wait and post some more of this story before I post that one._

_P.S. Arthur 2: Quest for the Aqua Orb has been put on hold. I'm still trying to decide what happens next...it's coming along...I just need some time to think things through thoroughly (wow...talk about a lot of "th"!!!!). Oh, and if you guys have any ideas for this story, PLEASE LET ME KNOW!!!!! I have the basic plot for the story, and a vague what's going to happen in the middle and end parts...but other than that, I don't have anything else. So feel free to give me some ideas!_

_Alrighty...here's Chapter 17! Enjoy!_

.........

"**A 2 pencil and a dream can take you anywhere."**

**-Joyce A. Meyers**

.........

**Chapter Seventeen**

Evan stood in the doorway, watching Hope play the piano. He longed to sit down and start playing it himself…

"You the one who slept under my bed?" she asked, startling him.

"Uh…yeah."

"Mmm…" she said. She went back to playing.

"Do you live here?" Evan asked.

"Me and my grandma do, until our boat comes in. You like music?"

"More than food," Evan replied, thinking back to what the Wizard had said the previous day.

Hope stopped playing and looked at him funny.

"More than cheese curds?"

Evan had to laugh. That was what Melanie had said…

"You know your notes?" she asked.

Evan stared at the jumbled mess of symbols on the page. "I've never seen them like that before…," he admitted.

"Look," she said, pointing to the page and playing the notes, "'Every-Good-Boy-Does-Fine', on the lines. And 'F-A-C-E' in between. Get it?"

Evan stared at her. "You're like an angel…"

Her eyes moved from side to side, showing she was a bit creeped out. "Okay…I gotta go to school now," she said, getting up and picking up her backpack. "I hope your girlfriend's feeling better. She took quite a spill on the floor last night."

"Oh, Mel?" Evan asked. "No, she's not my…she's…my sister. Her names Mel--Juno, Juno…" he said, catching himself. "Her name's Juno."

"Okay…is she all right? Cause you seemed pretty freaked out when she hit the floor. And…why do you call her Mel?"

Evan's eyes widened. How was he gonna get his way out of this one?

"Uh…well…Melanie's her middle name. And…I call her Mel."

"So…her name's Juno Melanie?"

"Uh…yeah. Juno Melanie Rush."

"Strange name." Hope shrugged and headed for the door.

"Can I borrow this?" Evan asked, indicating the sheet with notes.

Hope shrugged again. "Sure. See you later. And I do hope your girlfriend's feeling better."

"I already told you, she's not--"

"Yeah, yeah. I get that a lot. Look. I may be only nine years old…but I'm not stupid." She walked out of the room.

.........

"Hey, Sleeping Beauty," Hope said as she passed Melanie. "Glad you're up! Your boyfriend's in there."

"He's not my--"

"Yeah, that's what he said. And I told him if he wanted to go out with me, he'd have to wait on the list like everyone else." She walked off. "See you, Juno Melanie."

Melanie shook her head and stood in the doorway of the room. Evan was seated at the piano, plunking the keyes one by one.

"So…" Melanie said, causing him to look up and smile. "You play the piano, too? You just keep amazing me…"

"Oh, thank God," Evan said, rushing over to hug her. "What happened last night?"

"I just got a little warm," she explained. "I tend to faint in church a lot. Story of my life."

Evan laughed. "Well, I'm glad you're okay. And, if you haven't figured it out…this is our home for a while."

"Yeah…I realized that. I suppose that everyone took pity on me for fainting?"

"Uh-huh. They were really nice and offered to house us here. Except…"

"…we get to sleep under someone's bed?"

"Yeah. How'd you know?"

Melanie pointed to her head. "Ask my head when it's done ringing!" She sighed and looked at the piano. "I haven't played one of these for a while…I know a couple of Rent songs, obviously…"

"It seems so simple…and yet…so complicated…"

"Not really," Melanie said. "You just gotta get in the swing of it, and you'll do fine. And knowing you, I know you can do anything."

"Thanks, Mel."

"You're welcome." Her stomach growled. "Gosh…I'm going to head over to the kitchen and find myself some cereal…with my luck, they'll have something really sucky, like Honey Nut Cheerios…"

She walked out of the room, and Evan got back to the piano. He heard different noises outside the window: the creaking of the swings, the bouncing of a basketball. He could even hear Melanie singing to herself as she walked down the hallway.

It was then that he heard the music calling to him…

He immediately got a marker and some blank sheets of paper and started to draw notes all over the place. He sat at the piano the whole morning, working diligently. Melanie brought him some Honey Nut Cheerios for breakfast, and then a peanut-butter-and-banana sandwich for lunch. She couldn't help but smile to herself. She knew that Evan was capable of great things. And now he was unleashing these great things so that everyone would know just how talented he reall was.

She went to check on him later, but he wasn't there. She figured he must have taken a break.

_What am I, nuts? He's not taking a break…he's probably somewhere else…finding another instrument to work his magic on…_

She walked around the room, looking at all the different notes on the walls. This was…amazing! It took her a minute to take it all in.

Hope walked in and dropped her backpack on the ground with a thud. Her mouth hung open. "Did he…?"

Melanie nodded.

"Reverend J.!" Hope screamed, running out of the room and up the stairs.

.........

Evan sat at the organ, a bit hesitant at first. It was so…big. Much bigger than the piano…and a lot more complicated.

His hands hovered over the keys. He was a bit nervous to hit one. Playing the piano was one thing…playing the organ--which was in the church--was another.

"Play something."

Evan turned around and saw Melanie standing behind him.

"Just play something," she repeated. "Like this." She sat on the bench beside him and began to play.

"It's a whole different sound…" Evan said.

"I know. Isn't it beautiful?"

"Yeah…"

"So…what are you waiting for? Let it out and play."

And that's what he did. He began to play the organ.

"Wow…," Melanie said. "You've got it."

.........

"Reverend J.!" Hope called, running into his office. "Come quick!"

"Not now, Hope!" he said. "I'm on the phone."

"Now! Come on! You gotta see what's happened!"

He sighed and got up from his desk, following her down to the church. "Remember when we had Musical Appreciation Week? The class we had on Mozart?"

"Yes…"

"Didn't you say he was a musical pod?"

"You mean prodigy--"

"Exactly! Well…I have one of those, and he and his girlfriend are living under my bed!"

They opened the doors, and there sat Evan and Melanie at the organ, Evan playing away like a pro and Melanie beaming like the rays of a sunset.

Reverend J. and Hope stood there, truly amazed.

At first glance, Hope had known there was something special about Evan and Melanie.

And now she knew that she was right.


	20. Chapter 18

_Hey, everyone! OMG Wicked was so exceptionordinarily phenomenal!!!!! And I got a T-Shirt (it's a pink Popular one...tee, hee, I feel so girly!)._

_Anyway, since I'm in such a good mood today, I'm going to post another chapter of August Rush. Oh, and by posting this, we get ever closer to the scene with the Phantom song!_

_Happy reading and Ozspeed!!!_

.........

"**Never give up, for that is just the place and time that the tide will turn." **

**-Harriet Beecher Stowe **

.........

**Chapter Eighteen**

_You have…one new message (beeeep!):_

"_Mr. Jeffries? Hi…it's Lyla Novacek again. I was just checking in. I know…I understand that Evan was probably put in a family already and that the guardian angel is…Anyway, you know, if there's any more information or…yeah, just call. Please."_

.........

Lyla was determined to find Evan. And she wasn't going to leave New York until she did.

She took all the necessary precautions. She rented an apartment. She made sure she called Liz and Mr. Jeffries every day to check in. She went to the grocery store now and then to stock up on food (and cheese curds).

She stopped by the Washington Square arch as often as she could. Part of her always thought that maybe he'd be there, waiting. He'd be there, in the cold…with or without the angel.

Whichever one was better or worse, she wasn't sure.

A few times, she thought she had finally found him. She had stopped random boys on the street that looked like Evan, but they were never him. They'd look at her funny and walk away, going on with their business as usual.

"I don't know, Lizzy," she said over the phone. "It's like…I just woke up…and I should start playing again. I should play. I know it sounds crazy, but…maybe he'll hear me. Maybe…they both will."

She finally decided to play for the New York Philharmonic. And she knew that it was going to be hard because she hadn't played in over ten years. But the picture of Evan she had gotten to keep drove her to practice and practice until she got it right.

She'd do it for Evan.

He'd finally hear her.

.........

_One new message. Main menu. To listen to your messages, press 1._

_Beep!_

"_Hey, Marshall. It's me. I'm in New York. Is the band still minus one mad Connelly brother? Having you guys here…it'd be great, you know? Just an idea…and, hey, if we could take a break now and then and try looking for Annie…I'd really appreciate it. I know she's still out there…"_

.........

Louis went to the arch as often as Lyla did. But they never went on the same day. He'd always sit and wait to see if either she or his niece would show up.

But they never did.

He had started playing the guitar again, which kept him occupied when he wasn't thinking about Lyla or Annie.

It would help even more now that he'd be with his brothers again. He had gotten their band booked at the bar they used to play at. It'd be like old times…

.........

Reverend J. wasted no time in making sure Evan and Melanie were taken care of. After all, Evan was a musical prodigy. And…Melanie was his sister.

Evan was enrolled in the Julliard School and took music classes with students much, much older than him, while Melanie went to a high school for performing arts about five blocks away.

"You brought us two prodigies, Reverend," the principal of Julliard said.

"He is a mystery…both of them are. I thought they were angels. There's no record of a Juno or an August Rush anywhere."

On top of that, they both got nice, new clothes (although Melanie was quick to dislike some of hers, because most of them were pink), and Evan saved up enough money from some street performing money and loose change he found here and there to buy Melanie a brand new chain for her dog tags. She packed it away for later use, however, because the Reverend insisted that the dog tags were too riffraffish for a young lady such as herself (although that didn't stop her from wearing her dog tags).

Evan and Melanie both excelled in school. However…Evan felt a little lonesome sometimes. He was all alone, in a big school with older people who looked down on him all of the time, and Melanie wasn't there to stick it out with him. And when Melanie was cast in her school play, she would either be at rehearsal or rushing to finish the homework she hadn't been able to do during rehearsal.

Evan didn't want to make more out of the situation than there was. It wasn't a big deal. He was busy, too, with all of his classes and such. But he began to notice a pattern in the way Melanie began to live her life: wake up, go to school, go to rehearsal, work on homework when not on stage, go home, eat dinner, finish homework, go to bed.

She always found time in her hectic schedule for the musical.

But there seemed to never be any time for him.

He admitted to himself he had an agenda that was just as crazy. However, he did have time before bed to talk with Melanie. But she never seemed to have the time to do so. And every time she told him she was "busy", his spirits were dampened and a nagging thought in his head increased. _She's becoming a different person…she's becoming a different person…_

.........

Evan's mind tended to wander a bit during class about his predicament. But more often than not, it wandered to the music he had been writing ever since the day he first learned to play the piano. All of his teachers caught him working on it during class, and they requested to have a meeting with him and his sister.

When Evan told Melanie that they would have to meet with his teachers, she cringed a bit. She had said earlier that she was going to run over the lines and musical numbers she wasn't quite familiar with. But she went with him, anyway.

"Ah, Mr. And Miss Rush," the principal said when they walked through the big oak doors.

"I'm sorry," Evan said quickly. "I didn't mean to--"

"Why are you apologizing, August?"

"Sometimes I don't listen well, and I don't do the homework, like I'm supposed to…"

"Well, I'm sure you'll do better in the future," the principal said kindly. She gestured for the two of them to have a seat. "Now, how's school going for you, Miss Rush?"

"It's going fantastic!" Melanie said cheerfully. "I got cast in _High School Musical _as Sharpay Evans. And I've never even seen the movie!"

(Evan had to work hard to keep the plastered smile on his face from turning into a grimace of disgust.)

"I'm glad to hear that," the principal said. She smiled before continuing. "Now, the New York Philharmonic Orchestra has a concert every year. In the history of this school, we have never performed the work of a first-year student and certainly not one of your brother's age."

"So…you're saying that…you've chosen something he wrote to be featured in the concert?" Melanie asked, a bit confused. Since when had Evan completely finished a song?

"Yes. We've asked if they would perform your brother's rhapsody. Would you like that?"

Evan nodded. He turned to Melanie, who nodded slowly and unsurely, still a bit baffled.

"Well, good."

"How many people will hear it?" Evan asked.

Everyone turned to look at him.

"Well…" the principal said slowly, "it will be performed in Central Park, on the Great Lawn."

"A hundred?"

"Much more," she said, laughing. "Thousands."

"Okay. Because I need to play it for a lot of people." He looked at Melanie, who instantly knew what he meant. "Lots and lots."

Everyone began to laugh.

"We'll see what we can do to help," the principal said.

She kept the two of them after everyone had cleared the room.

"How does the music come to you?" she asked.

"I don't really know," Evan admitted. "Sometimes I wake up, and it's there. Or I'll hear it when I'm walking down the street. It's like someone's calling out to me." He turned and smiled at Melanie. "Writing it all down is my way of calling back to them."

"Who?"

"The ones who gave me the music and the ability to hear others."

.........

Evan got right to work conducting the orchestra that would be playing with him. For three or more hours a day, they sat in a big room, going over the music, changing things, adding things. All the while, Melanie sat in a chair, humming to the music and reading over her script.

After Evan became the busy one, Melanie began to realize that she was being ignored (all without seeing that, ironically, she was the one who had done the ignoring in the first place). She felt that this had to change. So one night, she shook him awake, having the burning need to ask him something.

"Evan?"

He yawned. "What?" he asked groggily. "It's one in the morning."

"I have to ask you something."

"Shoot."

She sighed. "I know you already explained all this to the principal, but…how could you hear me?"

Evan gave her a confused look. "You mean…how could I hear you singing?"

Melanie nodded.

"I guess I inherited the gift of hearing others from my parents…and the Wizard said that some of us can hear music in a way that others cannot…and he said that sometimes that music's made by other people. You see, you were singing because it helped comfort you. But what you didn't know was that this was your way of calling out to someone. And I heard you. And I listened. I followed the music…and you were at the end."

Melanie sighed again. "Do you ever regret…that I was there?"

Evan had contemplated this question many times in his head. At first, when he first realized she was the voice, he was sure he'd never regret finding her. However, after they started school and she became "busy", he began to doubt his judgment. But seeing her looking at him so lovingly at that moment brought a sudden change of heart.

He looked at her with a serious expression on his face.

"Not on my life."


	21. Chapter 19

**"'We'd stay together always' is the promise we made. But suddenly it's not so clear, and I'm being pulled both ways."**

**-Chanel**

.........

**Chapter Nineteen **

Arthur stood on the street corner, waiting for the light to change. As soon as the walk symbol would appear, cars would start to turn the corner, not even bothering to consider that the pedestrians had the right of way.

As he waited, he looked up at one of the many New York Philharmonic flags hanging on the lampposts. He read it up and down carefully, his eyes resting on the name "August Rush".

_That's Evan's name_, Arthur thought. _He's probably gotten himself--and Mel, too--in a load of trouble._

_I'd better go tell the Wizard…_

.........

Evan stood at the podium, conduction the orchestra. He had gotten used to the feeling of being in charge of what went on…and it felt good.

In the back of the room, Melanie looked over her script for about the five-hundreth time. Evan rolled his eyes in annoyance. He knew she knew all the lines. He ran through them with her when he wasn't busy, and she was ready. But she liked to look them over, just in case…

He sighed, frustrated. He knew that musicals took a lot of time and effort. But…that didn't give anyone an excuse to blow off others. He was busy, too. Yet he still found the time during the day to talk with others.

So…why was she doing this to him? Why was she completely ignoring him? There had to be some reason…

She closed the script and sat, watching. He could hear, even over the sound of the orchestra, her humming along. At this, he had to smile. It was comforting to know he could still hear her, even though she wasn't crying out for help any longer…

Suddenly, he heard the sound of applause. "Bravo, August!" came a voice from the back of the room.

Evan looked and felt his stomach sinking. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Melanie's face go pure white as she dropped her script. The cursed binding of pages hit the concrete floor without a sound.

Everyone turned to see the Wizard standing at the back.

"August, boy," he said, "you and your sister both are two hard dudes to find! Been looking everywhere for you!" He began to make his way towards Evan. Melanie quickly got up and stood beside Evan, ready to defend him from whatever the Wizard had planned for him. _Oh, sure, NOW you decide to get involved in my life…_Evan thought.

"Excuse me," the music supervisor said. "You're interrupting a rehearsal here."

"Yeah, a rehearsal…right."

"And you are?"

The Wizard ignored him. "Come here to me, kids," he said, his arms open.

There was silence. Evan and Melanie firmly stood where they were. The Wizard gave them a look.

"Come here," he said.

They reluctantly stepped down from the podium and went toward the Wizard.

"Oh, for the love of all things good, what did they do to the two of you?" he asked. "Oh, my God, Juno, what are you wearing? It's like fairy princesses and lawyers threw up all over you! And you still have those wretched dog tags…"

Evan's jaw clenched. "Nothing," he said, answering the question. "They didn't do anything to us." _Well…my teachers didn't…but something strange has happened to Melanie…_

The Wizard hugged them. "These people can steal your souls," he said when he let go.

"Sir," the music supervisor said. "Whomever you are, you don't have the right."

"I'm their father, all right?" the Wizard barked. "I have every right." He lowered his voice. "I'm taking you two home now. Come on." He began to lead them out.

"But I have a concert," Evan said, stopping. "And Juno will be in _High School Musical _soon. We like it here."

"Look, if you really like that Disney crap, we can rent it from the video store!" the Wizard said.

"But it's fun here," Melanie said. "I'm learning a lot…Evan's learning much more than anyone could ever accomplish…"

_You finally noticed? I didn't think you EVER would…_

"He's a remarkable boy…" the music supervisor said. "Both are very intelligent students."

"You don't think I know that?" the Wizard interrupted. "What'd you do, you just snatched them up off the street? That gives you the right?"

Evan's temper boiled. This wasn't supposed to be happening.

"Wait just a moment. We've been teaching them here."

"Oh! Teaching them! Filling their heads with classical theory and rules? You can't learn music from books! It's out there!" he said, pointing to a window. "You? Teach him? Ha! He teaches you! They both teach all of you! You learn from them."

"We are," the music supervisor said coldly. "I assure you, Mr. Rush, every day."

"You should be with family," the Wizard said, grabbing Evan's hand. "Come on."

Evan yanked his hand away furiously. He wasn't going to leave.

"Mr. Rush, please! Do you have any idea of the importance of the concert tomorrow night for August? Wait a minute. August, Juno…tell me right now, is this man your father? You can tell me the truth. I won't bite."

The Wizard leaned in. "I know your real names…Evan and Melanie."

Evan felt a shiver run down his spine. The Wizard was willing to send him back to the orphanage. Just like that. And God only knew where Melanie would be sent. And Evan couldn't stand the thought of losing her, even if she was being a bit distant lately…

"He's our father," Melanie said after a moment. "He taught us everything we know."

Evan could only nod numbly in agreement. Then the Wizard ushered the two of them out, leaving the orchestra and a very suspicious music supervisor behind.

.........

"What were you thinking?!" the Wizard snapped as soon as they were outside. "Getting yourselves into a big mess like that?! I told you two to stay together, not make names for yourselves!"

"Well excuse us for wanting to actually do something with our pathetic lives!" Melanie shot back. "It's not like you were helping with anything!"

The Wizard glared at her. "Don't you dare talk to me like that. You know full well that if it weren't for me, you'd have probably be in a living hell right now, with a family that doesn't even care about you!"

"That's not even true! I would have taken care of myself! My uncle would have shown up, eventually--"

"Oh, sure he would have! Yep! He's out there, Juno! Well, let me ask you something: WHERE HAS HE BEEN FOR THE PAST FIVE GODFORSAKEN YEARS?! Certainly not looking for you!"

Melanie began to cry. "He was just busy, all right?! He wanted me, I know he wanted me!"

"Forget about him! He's not coming, Juno! He's never coming. Now you follow me and Evan right now, or I'm going to make you wish you were in that car with your parents on the day they died!!"

This hit Melanie hard, and Evan could tell. He desperately wanted to punch the Wizard or yell something back, but he knew it wouldn't do any good.

Melanie glared and walked away.

"Where the hell do you think you're going?!" the Wizard called after her.

"Anywhere but here," she said, tears rolling down her face.

Evan found himself running after her. He stood in front of her. "Melanie, no!" he said. "Don't listen to him. Please."

"Evan, just forget it. I've had enough of him to last me a lifetime--"

"Don't go. Please! Don't leave me here."

_Dude…what are you doing? She doesn't care about you…_

"Evan…just…" she sighed, frustrated. "Just let me do this. I know what I'm doing." She began to walk away.

So this was it. Evan looked to see her walking away. She was really going to leave him here. After all the time they'd spent together…they were inseparable. But it looked as if Melanie didn't care anymore.

That was okay with him. He didn't have to care, either.

_Good. It's good she's leaving. You don't need her…she doesn't need you, does she?…Don't keep your feelings bottled up…Tell her what's on your mind…_

And that's what he did.

"Fine! Throw everything you ever cared about away, then!" Evan shouted, angry tears springing up out of the corner of his eyes. "Pretend you're doing the right thing! But at the end of the day, you'll still be a stupid Renthead!"

He knew this would make her turn around. "I may be a hard-core Renthead, but I know who I am!" she screamed. "And I don't need some snot-nosed eleven-year-old kid telling me otherwise!"

They stood there for a moment, just glaring at each other. Melanie sighed and put her hand on Evan's shoulder. "I also know," she said, "that you can do great things, Evan. And…I'm obviously holding you back from being able to accomplish those things--"

"What?" Evan asked, confused. "No, you're not! If anything, you're making it better--"

"No, I'm not," Melanie said. "I've been nothing but a dead weight for you to carry around and around for two months now. And that's not fair to you. Look, you've already shown me and a ton of other people who you are. And…I, obviously, haven't been able to do anything of the sort. So…I suppose I'm relieving you of a great burden by leaving." She began to walk away again.

"Mel, please!" Evan begged, stopping her. "Don't leave! You know that I can't do this without you. We're…practically siblings."

She turned to face him. "Yeah. But…sometimes practically isn't enough. And...it's Juno now...not Mel."

And with that, she walked away, leaving Evan to cry by himself in the middle of the sidewalk.


	22. Chapter 20

_A/N_

_OMG sorry about last chapter! I know it was a little...intense...but things'll get better (yes...a plot-spoiler; no a big one, though). Oh, and now I can finally post the Phantom scene! Yay!_

_Oh, and I probably wont' be on all that much this week, cause of a Spanish II test, a Vocab. test and a persuasive essay I have to write. Just a heads-up._

_Here's Chapter Twenty! Happy reading!_

.........

"**Life goes on…but I'm gone, cause I die without you."**

**-Jonathon Larson**

.........

**Chapter Twenty**

After walking away from the one person who ever cared to listen to her, Melanie had the roughest day of her life. She had no where to go, and no one to talk to. She couldn't afford anything--not even the broken light bulb she found laying on the sidewalk.

Frustrated, she sat down by one of the many fountains dotting the landscape. She had to make a plan for herself. She was going to prove to the Wizard and Evan that she could live by herself. She just needed to figure out a way to do it.

She shook her head. Figuring out ways to do things wasn't something she was exactly good at. She thought back to the previous weeks of musical rehearsal and how she had purposefully ignored Evan just so she could do a good job as Sharpay and make him proud of her. But by doing that, she had pushed him away and made a rift between them, and she wasn't sure she could ever fix it.

She glanced down at her guitar case, which she had absently taken with her when she had left Julliard, and quickly looked away. The last thing she wanted to do was go against her morals and actually play for money. But she had no other option at the moment…

She'd only play if it were an emergency. Yes, only if she really needed to.

But…she really needed to now. So…?

Melanie sighed and looked into the fountain. On the bottom were countless pennies and dimes from people who had stopped by to make a wish. Melanie knew she didn't have a dime or a penny to spare…but maybe…dog tags would work…

Immediately she knew she shouldn't do that. Someone would eventually find the dog tags and keep them forever, and she'd never see them again.

But…wasn't that the point? They reminded her too much of her past life…her parents…her uncle…and mostly of Evan. She needed to let go of that. It gave her too much pain.

She took of the chain and held it over the water. Her brain told her not to, but her hands had minds of their own. She closed her eyes, made a wish, and dropped her dog tags in. Then she ran from the fountain before she could change her mind.

She wanted to run back, but knew that it would only make things worse. But by thinking of that, she remembered the new chain Evan had gotten her. She quickly took it out of her backpack--where she kept it frequently--and realized that it was a diamond chain. And diamonds were worth money.

A lot of money.

_Who says dog tags don't work as wishing coins? _she thought to herself as she went to go cash her chain in.

.........

Melanie got exactly $150 for her chain, in cash. She knew that it wouldn't last long, considering all the food and other things she needed, but it would do for now.

She sighed as she saw a vacant park bench. She sat down and realized that this would be her home for a while.

Unless…

She glanced down at her guitar. She promised herself she'd only play for money in case of an emergency.

And this was an emergency.

.........

Evan looked out the window and sighed. Here he was, back at the Wizard's, with no home, no parents…and no friend.

Well…maybe not…

_**The mind churns…the heart yearns…the tears dry…without you…**_

Evan had gotten so used to Melanie singing in person he almost forgot what it was like to hear her as the voice in his head. But it didn't help much. He just felt worse now that he could hear her.

He sighed again as he remembered what had happened earlier after Melanie--Juno--had walked away. The Wizard had pulled him along, forcing him to perform here and there. His mind was somewhere else, and he made many mistakes, causing the Wizard to yell at him nonstop.

While the Wizard was on the phone at one of their stops, Evan took a break and sat down on the edge of the fountain that sat in the middle of the park. He saw something glimmering in the water and looked in.

His heart stopped when he reached in and pulled out Melanie's dog tags.

There could have been a number of solutions running through his head. But he knew what had happened. Melanie had thrown them in on purpose. She wanted to forget about everything.

She wanted to forget about him.

And knowing this tore him apart.

Evan was suddenly plunged into a state of depression, and was faced with a sadness he'd never known before. Everything felt numb, and his hands were unable to work their usual magic on Roxy. He felt as if a big block of cement was on his shoulders, weighing him down.

The Wizard, seeing him so miserable, didn't force him to play any more that day. He led Evan back to the theater and let the young boy sulk for the rest of the night. He tried to bring Evan some cheese curds, but Evan wouldn't eat anything. All he wanted to do was stare out the window, letting big tears roll down his face.

All Evan could think about was Melanie's dog tags in the fountain and what it meant. He tried not to think about it, but it seemed like everything led back to those stupid tags in that stupid fountain in the stupid park on one of the worst days of his life.

_**Life goes on…but I'm gone…**_

_Cause I die…without you…_

Evan found himself singing with her. He caught himself. Why was he doing this? Melanie was furious with him, and knowing how mad she was, he didn't want to try and reason with her at the moment.

And the more he thought about it, he realized that he had everything backwards. If anything, _he_ should be furious with _Melanie_.

Scratch that. He should be mad with _Juno_. Because _she_ was the one who had neglected him for two months. _She _was the one who had walked away. _She _was the one who had decided to throw Melanie's dog tags in the fountain in the first place. _She_ was the one who was willing to forget about everything and pretend nothing ever happened.

_She_ was the one who never wanted Melanie to remember that she had known Evan Taylor.

But even though all this was true, Evan knew in his heart that Melanie didn't mean to act like this. She had just wanted to make him proud of her, and by doing that, she figured she needed to pour her heart and soul into whatever would help her accomplish that. But by doing that, she became someone he didn't even recognize.

His mind wandered back to the dog tags. He figured Melanie, like him, was very confused and had no where to turn, and the dog tags in the fountain was just a result of her loneliness. And her singing was her way of trying to find someone out there who would be her friend.

_**Without you…**_

_Without you…_

**Without…you…**

And him singing with her was his way of reminding her that he was never far away.


	23. Chapter 21

_Hey, everyone! Sorry that the last two chapters were so depressing...but things start to look up in this chapter, I guess! That's good!_

_Anyway, the shirt that Melanie wears from this scene on until the end of the story is the one Maureen Johnson wears in the stageplay RENT (the one the actress would currently wear...not the original one Idina Menzel wore). I don't own the design or the shirt (but, man, I wish I did...it's so CUTE!!!_

_So...yeah! Enjoy!_

.........

"**I am not afraid of storms, for I am learning how to sail my ship."**

**-Louisa May Alcott**

.........

**Chapter Twenty-One**

"And we are back, we are back," Arthur said matter-of-factly to Evan the next day. The two of them stood in Washington Square Park, the Wizard talking on the payphone a few feet away.

Evan glared at Arthur and looked away. Arthur was mocking him. And he really didn't need that right now.

"Hey, don't make it harder on yourself, Aug," Arthur said. "Wizard's not so bad."

"It'd be easier to weather the storms he throws at me if…"

"Listen, dog. Juno did the right thing. She escaped when she had the chance! She's smart…for a Renthead."

"You don't understand," Evan said.

"Oh, I do," Arthur said. "She's become someone else. Someone you don't know or like."

"What? No, I don't--"

"Oh, don't give me that, Aug. When someone begins to act like someone they're not, pretty soon, it's who they become. Melanie became Juno because that's who she was forced to be. But she's been acting like Juno so much it's the only way she knows now. And Juno's world don't have a place for Evan Taylor. Or August Rush. Am I right?"

Evan reached up to his neck and felt where Melanie's dog tags were. He'd vowed he'd wear them until he found the right place and the right time to give them back.

"Maybe Juno's world doesn't," he said. "But…I know Mel's still does."

"Whatever. Anyway…the Wizard's just not feeling well. He said you were the only one who could make him feel better. He says it's better now that Juno's gone, cause now you can focus on playing--"

"Well, maybe he's right about Juno. I _am _better off without her. But has he ever considered that without Melanie, I'm nothing? I can't sleep, I can't eat, I can't even play! He knows that. And he's just making things worse by trying to cover up the fact that she's gone."

Arthur shrugged and looked across the way at some grown-ups with guitars. "Uh-oh. Competition. Yo, I'll be right back. You do what you do." He stopped and turned around. "Play it for Mel. Maybe she'll hear you."

Evan forced himself to play the guitar. He really didn't want to. However…there was just that faint ray of hope that Melanie was out there…not Juno...and that if he played, she'd follow the music to him…

He looked up to see a man dropping quarters into his open guitar case. "Great sounds, kid," the man said.

Evan stared at him. He seemed familiar…

The man looked at the guitar. "Gibson J-200?"

Evan nodded.

"It's beautiful. Can I see her?"

Evan looked toward the Wizard, who was still on the phone.

"Hey, it's okay," the man said. "I'm a musician, too."

Evan took the guitar off and gave it to the man, who gave him his guitar in return. They sat down next to each other. The man began to play.

"You're pretty good," Evan said.

"Thanks. See what you can do with mine."

Evan began to play the man's guitar. It had a pretty nice sound…

Soon, they took turns playing each other's guitars. Then they started to play together, in harmony. Evan began to smile as he drummed the guitar. For a moment, he forgot all about his troubles.

All too soon, they stopped playing, the music still hanging in the air. The man looked at Evan incredulously. "How long you been playing?"

"Six months."

"Six months? How'd you learn to play like that in six months?"

"Julliard."

The man looked at him. "Julliard…"

"Yes, sir. I have my own concert tonight."

"Do you reckon I should believe you?"

"Yeah." Evan sighed. "But I can't go."

"Why's that?"

Evan looked the Wizard's way. "It's kinda a long story…"

"Well…if I went to Julliard and I had a concert tonight, I wouldn't miss it for the world," the man told him.

"But…what if something bad happened if you did it?"

The man laughed. "You never quit on your music. No matter what happens. Because any time something bad happens to you, it's the one place you can escape to and just let it go. I learned that the hard way. And anyway, nothing bad's gonna happen. You gotta have a little faith." He stuck out his hand. "I'm Louis."

Evan shook it. "Ev--August. August Rush."

"Cool name."

_Yeah…but if only having faith were that easy! It's not gonna help with--_

_**This is real…this is me…I'm exactly where I'm supposed to be now…**_

Evan perked up and started to wildly look around. Was she here? Now?

_**Gonna let the light…shine on me…**_

He finally saw her, playing her guitar, wearing a shirt with the New York skyline on the body, pink buttoned fabric scraps lining the sleeves. Her guitar case was open, and people were crowded around her, giving her money.

"You know her?" Louis asked. "She's got talent."

"Yeah…she's my sister."

"Your sister? Shouldn't she be with you?"

"Well…it's complicated…"

"You have a fight or something?"

Evan nodded. "Something like that. She became someone else. Someone I didn't know. Someone she couldn't control. And...well..."

"Well…" Louis said, "I know better than anyone what it's like to lose someone close to you. And if you get the chance to get them back…you gotta take it. Because you never know if another chance is on the horizon or not."

Evan sighed and began to walk towards Melanie. If she was willing to let him into her life again, then he was willing to let her into his. He began to play with her.

_You're the voice I hear inside my head…the reason that I'm singing…_

_**I need to find you…I gotta find you…**_

Melanie's solemn face turned to sheer joy when Evan reached her, playing his guitar. Evan then realized that Melanie had been playing not only because she needed the money, but because she had wanted him to hear her.

And he had.

When they were done playing and the crowd had dispersed, Melanie and Evan embraced each other and began to cry.

"God, I didn't think you were here!" she admitted.

"Well…I was…and here I am!"

Louis had followed Evan over and smiled. "That was some performance. You two are quite the team." He looked from Evan to Melanie, and for some reason his gaze fixed on Melanie, and hers on him.

"Uncle Louis?" she asked.

He stared at her. "Annie?"

She nodded and began to cry again.

"Oh, my God…" he said. He pulled her close and the two of them hugged.

Evan was slightly confused for the moment.

This was…Melanie's uncle?


	24. Chapter 22

_A/N_

_Hey, everone! Sorry I haven't been updating. I've had to study for FOUR tests this week AND I had to write a persuasive essay. Yeah...my teachers decided not to let up on stuff, even though second quarter started this week. That, and my computer's acting up! It's having all these random websites pop up out of nowhere, and also trying to get us to install some anti-virus crap or whatever. So...yeah._

_Oh, sorry this one's a little long...a lot going on. Oh, and this story's almost done. Just a heads-up._

_Happy reading!_

.........

"**We're soaring…flying…there's not a star in heaven that we can't reach if we're trying! Yeah, we're breaking free."**

**-Troy Bolton and Gabriella Montez**

.........

**Chapter Twenty-Two**

"God, where have you been for the past five years?" Louis asked.

"Living on the streets, pretty much," Melanie said through her tears. "Been playing my guitar…keeping the Rent spirit alive…it was supposed to close next June, you know…but they extended it to September of next year…"

"Yeah…" Louis said, wiping his face. "I know. God, I am so sorry, Annie. I never, ever meant for this to happen." He looked around. "Where are Natalie and Matt?"

"They died," Melanie said sadly. "In a car accident. On their way home from one of their performances. As soon as I figured that out, I was shook so hard….The police confined me to the house, telling me that one of my relatives needed to come and take me to live with them. They contacted you--the only one who had enough room to take care of me--but you never picked up. And after a week of TV dinners and sitting around all day…I ran away. I've been living on the streets ever since."

"Oh, my God…" Louis said, devastated. "I know I'll never make it up to you. Ever. And I don't blame you for hating me--"

"No, it's fine. I'm just…glad you finally came." "Well, then…I guess you can come and live with me in San Francisco--"

"What?" Melanie suddenly pulled away. "I--I don't wanna leave New York." She stood by Evan. "I'm not leaving him."

"Annie," Louis said, sighing. "He's not your biological brother! I know he's not. Your mum and dad never had other kids beside you--"

"Maybe so…but I'm not leaving him. I've already done that once. And…after the night I've had…I'm not ready to do it again."

"Melanie. There's nothing I can do for him. I'm sorry. That man over there…I'm sure he wants to lose your friend as much as you do. And I'm not going to get involved in that. Now, look, as soon as the band and I are done playing at our old gig spot, we're heading back to San Francisco."

"I said no!" Melanie said angrily, walking away.

"Melanie, where are you going?"

"Back to square one," she said, sighing. She walked into a huge crowd of people and disappeared.

"Oh, no…" Louis said. "At the pace she's walking, I'm going to have to file a missing person's report or something…"

All the while, Evan stood, speechless. He didn't know whether to be sad that Melanie had left or happy that she had found her uncle or furious with her for running away from her problems again . Everything had happened too fast.

"August! Come here! Now!" the Wizard said. He was done on the payphone and gesturing for Evan to follow him.

"I gotta go anyway, August," Louis said as they exchanged guitars.

"Bye," Evan said. "I hope you find her."

"Yeah…" Louis said as he rustled Evan's hair and walked away. "Me, too." He turned back to look at Evan a couple of times before he finally disappeared into the crowd, running to catch up with Melanie.

Evan stood where he was, his hands reaching up to Melanie's dog tags. He hadn't been able to return them to her.

But he would. He'd make sure that he would.

.........

Hope sat at the piano, depressed. Her two new friends--however weird they really were--had mysteriously gone back with their father. And she missed them with all her heart.

Reverend J. had done everything he could to make sure that both of them were found, but it didn't seem like enough. She wished they'd show up on the church's doorsteps, ready to go back to their previous lives.

But of all days to go back to their dad…why choose now? The day of the New York Philharmonic? She was sure that the two of them wouldn't miss it for the world…

Reverend J. came into the room and leaned against the piano. Hope looked up.

"You think anything bad happened to them?" she asked.

"I'm sure they're both fine. They're both strong kids…they look out for each other. I prayed for them…did you?"

"Yeah," Hope said softly.

"Well…if their father loves them like he should, then he'll do what's best for his son and daughter. You believe that, don't you?"

Hope began to smile a little. "Yeah."

"Good. Now go get ready."

.........

"Welcome to our Concert in the Park and the Mercedes Drive Your Future Scholarship Celebration," the principal said into the microphone. Thousands of people stood facing the enormous stage, eagerly anticipating the music that would follow.

"And now it is my pleasure that I welcome back to the concert stage one of Julliard's own: Lyla Novacek."

Lyla breathed in and out as she made her way across the stage in her white dress, thunderous applause surrounding her. She sat down and began to play with the orchestra.

She looked out over the crowd, hoping for a sign that Evan and his guardian angel were out there.

_And even if they're not…_she thought. _I know they'll hear me._

.........

Louis stood onstage in the bar, a single spotlight hitting him. He really hadn't wanted to come. He was still upset about not being able to find Melanie in time for this…but he had had to come without her. He had filed a missing person's report at the police station, and they promised to find her A.S.A.P.

_But that's not soon enough…_he thought. _I've been ignoring her for the past eleven years…I need to make it up to her now._

The music started and he began to sing. Wherever she was…he hoped she heard him and came back.

He really did.

.........

Evan stood in the subway station with Arthur and the Wizard, waiting for the next train. This was it. He hadn't followed Louis's advice and was giving up on his dream. But he didn't care. Nothing mattered anymore. His parents didn't matter…the music didn't matter…even Melanie didn't matter.

He sighed. He didn't mean that. He knew he didn't. Giving the dog tags back was one of the top things he needed to do that night. And the other was go to the New York Philharmonic.

But…that wasn't going to happen anytime soon.

Or…was it?

_**Go.**_

Juno was back.

_Get out of my head. You don't care about me anymore. Juno, you never care about anything. Why should I care about you?_

_**This isn't Juno. This is Melanie. Juno really doesn't feel like talking. But I do. **__**Anyway, I'm telling you. Go. This is your night to show everyone who you are and what you can do. Don't let anyone or anything stand in your way. Don't let your anger for me stand in your way of doing this.**_

_**Just…go.**_

He sighed. Why did she have to be right?

"I have to go now," he said, giving back Roxy. "And I'm not coming back this time."

Evan could tell the Wizard was getting mad.

_**Stand your ground, sweetie…it's gonna be okay…**_

"He's just kidding, Wizard," Arthur said, hoping the Wizard wouldn't strike. "Me and August have an understanding. Don't we?"

Evan stared at Arthur. What understanding? They had never really been friends. Arthur thrived off of Evan's failure and shyness, and shrunk at Evan's success. That wasn't what friends did. And Arthur realized it at that moment.

"Aw, come on. Aug, you can't leave me."

"Yes, I can."

"Cause you have to find your parents," the Wizard said coldly. "Right?"

"Yeah. And I gotta find Melanie, too."

"Don't you dare talk to me about Juno!" the Wizard barked. "She was holding you back, August! She never really cared about you!"

"You know what? You're right! Juno never cared about me! She never cared about things that mattered. But you're wrong about Melanie! Melanie cares for me! She always has and always will! She did more for me than you ever did! And that's why I gotta go to the concert! If I play the music…she'll hear it. I know she will. She'll follow it to me. You'll see. It'll happen. Now if you'll excuse me…my concert's starting."

"Well…all my money's on the fact your folks--and that little brat--won't be able to find you. You know why? Because they can't hear you." He started to laugh meanly. "You're parents have probably been dead for years. Renthead's probably gotten herself mugged and is probably laying in an alley with a knife in her side. You're not going anywhere."

Evan stood stock still, furious with the Wizard. He felt like crying, but he knew he couldn't.

_**I'm not dead…and neither are your parents…Evan, you can do this…don't listen to him…break free…I believe in you…**_

Evan took his friend's advice and began to run harder than he ever had before. The Wizard began to chase him. He had to run faster. He wasn't going to get caught this time.

Evan reached the stairs and turned around. The Wizard had stopped running. And Evan knew why. There was nowhere to go…no one to turn to…

"Nowhere to go, son," the Wizard said.

Evan gasped suddenly. Arthur was running right up to the Wizard with Roxy. He swung the guitar and hit the Wizard in the head. The impact sent both the Wizard and Arthur on their backs, Roxy breaking into a million pieces.

"Run, August!" Arthur cried. "Go!"

And Evan ran.

.........

Evan found himself in one of the lower levels of the station. He couldn't find a way out.

"August!" came the Wizard's voice out of nowhere.

Evan whipped around, but the Wizard was nowhere in sight. A train rolled by, oblivious to everything.

Evan suddenly heard the distant sound of a cello. He looked up to the vents and saw the full moon. He knew where the music was coming from.

_There's no way out, though…I'm not gonna make it…_

_**Evan…you can do this! Don't give up. I know you'll find a way. Please. Don't be like me. Don't throw everything that you care about away. Because once you do…it's hell trying to get it all back. **__**So…please. Follow the sound of the cello. You'll make it…**__**I know you can.**_

Evan knew he could do it, too. And so, listening to Melanie's encouraging thoughts, he ran like the wind.


	25. Another note from me

Hola, everyone! OMG sorry I haven't been updating! My computer crashed and my mother has taken the hard drive in to get fixed. We'll have it back by Thursday, but there's no garuntees that I'll update things (I mean...things could have been deleted...). Anyway, if the worst happens, it won't take me long to duplicate things (like August Rush and stuff), so that's good. Just thought I'd give everyone a heads-up!

Until then...happy reading!

~ElphieThroppDG28


	26. A third note from me

Hola! OMG I'm sorry about reposting chapter 2 of the Arthur sequel! There was a bit of a misunderstanding, is all...

That, and I have some good news and bad news:

**THE BAD NEWS:** August Rush will be put on hold for a while (again!).

**THE GOOD NEWS: **My computer's up and running.

**MORE BAD NEWS: **My computer's memory is, like, completely erased!

**MORE GOOD NEWS: **But...since August Rush was almost done, anyway, it won't take me long to duplicate stuff. I sent a copy of the first draft to my friend A.K., and I'll ask him if he'll send the chapters I need via email.

So...yeah. I thinkt that's it! Happy reading!

~ElphieThroppDG28


	27. Evan and Melanie Songlist

Okay...here's the REAL songlist that I wanted to post. Oh, and my friend A.K. will be sending me stuff really soon. He just likes to delay stuff cause he thinks it's funny.

Anyway...here's the list! Enjoy!

**SONGS (in order of appearance...):**

1. This Is Me/Gotta Find You - Mitchie Torres and Shane Gray (CAMP ROCK)

2. Alone In The Universe - Horton the Elephant and Jojo Who (SEUSSICAL)

3. Without You - Mimi Marquez and Roger Davis (RENT)

4. What You Own - Mark Cohen and Roger Davis (RENT)

5. Finale B (No Day But Today) - Full Company (RENT)


	28. Chapter 23

_A/N_

_Hola! I'm back! My best friend A.K. was able to send me the parts I needed for August Rush (so, yeah...thank him for me being able to post this!), so I'm able to post another chapter! I know, I know...this one's kinda short. But that's cause I'm almost done, and not a lot happens in this part._

_Oh, and like I've said: I NEED IDEAS FOR MY ARTHUR SEQUEL! Please! I know you guys have exceptionordinarily amazing imaginations!_

_Until then...enjoy!_

.........

**"Bouncing is for balls."**

**-Tibby Rollins**

.........

Chapter Twenty-Three

Lyla stood to the applause she was receiving at the end of the song. But she wasn't worried about that. Because during the song…she had heard the guardian angel.

And she had been encouraging Evan!

_**Evan**__**…**_she had said. _**Don**__**'**__**t give up. I know you**__**'**__**ll find a way.**_

_**You**__**'**__**ll make it**__**…**__**I know you can.**_

She knew Mr. Jeffries was wrong about the angel. She knew all along that she was someone who had been helping her son along the way.

And after she got off the stage, she realized that the angel had been helping her son to the concert.

.........

"How much longer to the airport?" Louis asked in his brother's van.

"What? You've given up on Annie?"

"Well…yeah," Louis said. "I mean, I gave her a short memorial…but I need to move on."

_What am I doing? I shouldn__'__t say that! I should be looking for her right now__…_

He looked out the window and saw one of the flags for the New York Philharmonic. He saw the name "August Rush" and remembered the boy in the park earlier that day.

He decided he'd ask about it. It wouldn't hurt to do so…right?

.........

Mr. Jeffries was closing up the office for the night. He was relieved that that crazy Novacek woman had stopped badgering him about Evan. It had gotten annoying…

He tried to land his empty Pepsi can into the recycling bin, but he missed. He went to pick it up when he saw two missing person reports laying on the floor for August and Juno Rush.

"August Rush…and…Juno Rush?" he read, confused. "That's…Evan Taylor and Melanie Porter."

.........

"Music has always fascinated us in the way that it communicates," the principal said, once again at the microphone.

In the middle of the crowd, Melanie began to push her way towards Washington Square Park. She had tried all through the pretty cellist's song to encourage Evan to come.

But it looked like that wasn't happening.

"Without words…without pictures…and that leads us to our final performance."

_Yeah, yeah, yeah__…__save it for your book, lady._

"Perhaps there's no one else who can better personify the mystery that is music than our final composer."

Melanie finally made it to the back and found Arthur standing against a tree.

"Arthur? What are you doing here?"

"Coming to see my friend Aug--I mean, Evan Taylor--perform," he said simply. "And…I thought that his best friend, Melanie, would be here to support him."

"Well…" Melanie said haughtily. "Melanie was busy, so she asked Juno to come and watch him for her."

Arthur smiled. "Still mad about what happened?"

"Well…you know Melanie…she's a Boho. And Bohos tend to get emotional."

"Yeah. I know. But I thought that of all people, Melanie'd be here, in the front row, cheering her best friend on. She can't let that kind of stuff get in the way of her relationship with him. And I certainly never thought she'd let someone who doesn't even exist take over."

Melanie sighed. "I'll tell her you said that."

"Thanks."

Melanie nodded and walked away.


	29. Chapter 24

_Hey, hey, hey! Here's another chapter! Enjoy!_

.........

"The lips know only shallow tunes. The heart is where great symphonies are born."

-Calvin Miller

.........

Chapter Twenty-Four

Evan stood at the podium on the enormous stage in his tuxedo. His heart was beating faster and faster because of his nerves. He thought of what Louis had said about losing opportunity when it came knocking and how hard it was to get it back.

He knew he couldn't screw this up.

The musicians sat with their instruments, ready for his direction. Hope and the church choir stood towards the back of the stage, waiting patiently to start singing.

Evan looked down at Melanie's dog tags still hanging from his neck. "This one's for you, Mel," he said quietly, hoping she'd hear him. "I hope you and my parents listen this time." He took a deep breath and began to conduct.

.........

Lyla had been walking around Central Park, thinking things over when she heard the wondrous sounds that were coming from the stage. She turned around and knew she had to get to the front of the stage.

Now.

.........

"Hey, what's that?" Louis asked, looking out the window at the concert.

"Concert's in the Park every year," Marshall said.

Louis saw yet another flag for the event and saw Lyla's name. That was when he knew he had to get out of the car.

"Let me out! Let me out of the car!"

He got out and began to run in between the cars that were stuck in the traffic jam. No matter what, he was getting to that concert.

.........

Melanie had gotten a reasonable distance from the front of the stage when she heard the music start up. She forced herself not to turn around. She wasn't going to interfere any longer.

_This one__'__s for you, Mel__…__I hope you __and my parents__ listen this time._

Melanie cocked her head. Had she just heard Evan in her head? Wasn't it his job to be the receiver?

_Please don__'__t leave. I know you__'__re out there. If you could just let me know that you__'__re out there, listening__…__that__'__ll make me happy._

Melanie took a deep breath and turned around. The crowd had thickened since she had broken through.

There was no way she would be able to get back to where she was.

.........

The music filled the park with excitement, then calmness. Evan felt the cold of the dog tags' chain on his neck, but he tried not to notice it. It was only a reminder to him that she wasn't coming back.

But…it also gave him the hope that if maybe she didn't…maybe his parents would.

.........

Both Lyla and Louis began to push their way through the crowd. They had to get up to the front of the stage. Lyla could have sworn she saw Mr. Jeffries there, but because of her determination, she hardly noticed…

They both felt the tremendous pull, like a magnet. It was leading them to something big…something they weren't prepared for…yet at the same time they were eager to see what it was.

.........

Up on stage, Evan felt the chain send chills down his spine. He could feel his parents there…behind him…somewhere…

.........

Louis looked across the way and saw Lyla. For a moment, he couldn't move. There she was, after eleven years…and she was still as beautiful as he remembered…

Lyla felt someone beside her, and turned to see Louis. For a moment, all they could do was look at each other. Then Louis silently slipped his hand into Lyla's.

.........

The music ended, and Evan turned around to see Lyla and Louis smiling, holding hands. Evan instantly made the connection that they were his parents. And the same happened with the two of them.

Evan felt his heart leap. He had never felt as happy as he did right then.

.........

Ten minutes after he got off stage, Evan found himself pushing through the huge throng of people still milling about (it had taken all of his energy to tear himself away from Hope and his church choir friends).

He finally spotted his parents, hand in had, looking for him. Evan inhaled and tapped Lyla on the shoulder. She turned around, stunned.

"Mom?" he asked quietly.

Lyla nodded, a smile spreading across her face.

"I knew it," Evan said through his tears. "I knew you'd hear me this time."

Louis, at that point, had turned around, and the three of them shared one big hug.

"So…is your name Evan or August Rush?" Lyla asked jokingly.

Evan found himself laughing. "Well…it's a long story…but maybe I'll go by Evan. August…that one never really…stuck with me."

"Well, then," Louis said. "Evan it is."

Evan smiled and hugged his parents again.

Everything had turned out for the better.

Or…had it?


	30. Epilogue

_Hey, everyone! Last part of August Rush!_

_I'd like to thank everyone who read my story and all those readers who gave me support and left wonderful comments. You guys rock! _

_Oh, and for those of you who are curious and want to read some more of August Rush...I'll be adding two scenes that happen after the story ends into the deleted scenes sometime this week. _

_Thanks again and Happy Thanksgiving!!!!_

_~ElphieThroppDG28_

.........

**"Life's a voyage that's homeward bound."**

**-Herman Melville**

.........

Epilogue

After hugging both of his parents for another five minutes, trying to gently turn down the advances of his newfound fan club, and crying until his tear ducts could produce no more water, Evan felt a cold shiver run down his spine.

And it was from the dog tags.

Which reminded him Melanie was never coming back.

"Evan, sweetie," Lyla said when her son started to cry again. "What's wrong?"

"It's Mel," he said through his tears.

"Wait…who's--"

"She's my niece," Louis explained. "She's been kind of guiding him around, making sure he's safe…"

"She's…the guardian angel," Lyla realized.

"But she wasn't here," Evan said sadly. "She never was. And she's not coming back!"

"But I swear I could hear her encouraging you!" Lyla insisted. "I heard her!"

Louis sighed. "I think the reason she's not here is partly my fault. I told her she should come back with me to San Francisco, but she refused to leave Evan. And…then she ran away." He laughed. "Seems to be something she does."

"So…she's somewhere out there? In the city? All by herself?"

"Yeah…but I have no idea how we're going to find her at this time of the night…"

Evan looked back at the stage and got an idea. "I think I know how to call her back…"

.........

Melanie found herself back on the park bench with her guitar. This was going to be her life from now on.

It could be worse, though. She could be living in a cardboard box…

She sighed. Nothing was worse than this.

_Your eyes__…__as we said our goodbyes__…__Can__'__t get them out of my mind__…__and I find I can__'__t hide__…__from your eyes__…__the ones that took me by surprise__…__the night you came into my life__…__Where there__'__s moonlight, I see your eyes__…_

Melanie's brow furrowed. She recognized the words and melody of "Your Eyes" immediately. But…where was it coming from?

She listened more closely and knew exactly who was singing.

_How could I let you slip away__…__when I__'__m longing so to hold you?__…__Now I die for one more day__…__cause there__'__s something I should have told you__…_

Melanie took her guitar and headed for Central Park. There was something she needed to do.

.........

Evan tried to look out at the lawn over the glare of the bright lights and the hundreds of people still milling about. He didn't see her yet. He looked back at his parents: Lyla on the cello, Louis on the guitar. They still played, even though they knew it was for a hopeless cause. That's what he loved about his parents. They'd always back him up, no matter what.

He looked back out over the lawn and continued singing.

_There__'__s something I should have told you__…__when I looked into your eyes__…__why does distance make us wise?__…__You were the song all along__…__and before the song dies__…__I should tell you__…__I should tell you__…__I have always loved you__…__You can see it in my eyes__…_

He sighed. There was no way she could have heard him. He turned to his parents, who wore the same disappointed look he did. At least they had tried.

But just as they started to leave, Evan heard a small voice…getting gradually louder and louder…

_There__'__s only us__…__there__'__s only this__…__forget regret__…__or life is yours to miss__…_

Evan could see in the distant glow of the lampposts the silhouette of a girl coming towards them. And she was singing.

_No other road__…__no other way__…__no day but today__…_

Evan's face produced a smile when he saw Melanie coming towards the three of them. He ran to her and gave her a big hug, Lyla and Louis rushing to keep up.

"I thought I'd never see you again!" Evan cried, more tears spilling out of his eyes.

"Well…Arthur made me think about things, and I figured out that I was letting a certain diva--"

"Juno?"

"Yes…Juno…take over my thoughts and actions. And it took you and my uncle Louis and this beautiful cellist playing that beautiful song for me to realize that I could never, ever forget the people that matter most in my life."

"Well, losing you made me realize that without you and my parents, I'm nothing." He took of the dog tags and handed them back to Melanie. "But even if you're far away…I'll always have a bit of you with me. In here." He laid his hand over his heart and smiled as he watched Melanie hug her uncle and the woman standing next to him.

"God, I can't thank you enough for helping our son," Lyla said as she hugged Melanie. "I owe you so much…"

"Enough to let her stay with us?" Evan asked hopefully.

Louis smiled. "I think that can be arranged…"

Evan smiled and once again hugged Melanie. He never knew that just being able to hear other people's music would lead him on an incredible journey. But, then again, he'd learned that life could take unexpected turns. And that sometimes these turns could change things for the better.

**No day but today****…**

.........

_**The music is all around us.**_

_**All you have to do is listen.**_


	31. Dedications and Acknowledgements

DEDICATION PAGE

Alrighty! It's that time again to acknowledge everyone who helped me with this story:

-Everyone in August Rush, for starters. Their genuine performances and amazing filming abilities added to the heartfelt mood and overall beauty of this fantastic film.

-Freddie "Freddy Boy" "Fredday" Highmore, for another one of his phenomenal performances that made it so much easier to add in Melanie. He did so well, I find myself wishing August Rush was my brother! You are amazing and are so cool!

-My friend, Jr. Mint, for acting as a beta reader and helping me when I needed it. Thanx again, Jr. Mint! You rock my socks!

-My best friend, A.K., for checking for spelling and grammar errors and also giving me ideas for my story. Hope is now so much funnier because of you! Be-wens forever, Elphers! LOL!

-My sister, LeiaOrgana57, for putting up with me hogging the computer to type this story. Thanks for your tolerance! Keep writing, sis! You're AMAZING!

-Shinjite Florana, for more of her wonderful support and quirky pep talks. You've kept me laughing for days on end! Sisterly love! ^_^

-My friend K.S. I forgot to add him into the Spiderwick Chronicles dedications page, and I feel awful about it! So I'll put him in here. He was the second person to read the Spiderwick Chronicles and give me feedback. Thanx, little bro!

-Jonathon Larson, for his creative ideas and determination that eventually led to one of my favorite shows on Broadway. Wherever he is right now, I'd like him to know how much Rent has changed my life and how much its songs and overall message have influenced this story. He is amazing and I'll always be grateful to him!

-Everyone who's ever been in Rent. Their portrayals of everyone's favorite Bohos and their influence on this wonderful show over the twelve years it's been running have helped make Rent larger than life. That, and Anthony Rapp and Adam Pascal are forever cool! Thank you all for doing an amazing job!

-The people who wrote and performed the song "This Is Me/Gotta Find You" from Camp Rock. That song is almost a character itself in this story, it's in there so much!

-Everyone who's commented on my story. Your comments continually help me improve my writing and help me grow to be better! Thank you!

-The loyal readers (again, you know who you are) who have stuck with me through this whole thing and never had one bad thing to say about it. I cannot thank you enough for your continual support and kind words!

Thanx again!

~ElphieThroppDG28


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